Performant

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What Does Performant Mean?

Performant means that something is working correctly or well enough to be considered functional. In a technology context, this term is believed to have originated with programmers seeking a concise word to express that a system or program will work, but may not yet be optimal. Performant may have come from a portmanteau of performance and conformant – as in working and meeting existing standards.

Techopedia Explains Performant

Performant has become a business buzzword in addition to being programmer slang. Essentially, performant is a fancier way of saying that a program or system is acceptable. Depending on the context, this could mean good enough to package and sell, or simply good enough to elevate to the next level of testing. In some contexts, performant may mean a product is as good as it can be while remaining cost-effective, and that any additional time spent on it will push development costs beyond the budget.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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