State (computing)

A computing system’s state is its configuration at a particular time, captured by the values of variables and other information relevant to its behavior.

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Variable (computer science): A named storage location or symbolic quantity whose value can vary during computation. Variable values are a common way to represent a system’s state.
Process (computing): A running instance of a computer program, with its own execution context and resources. A process’s state includes its memory, registers, and execution position.
Session (computer science): A bounded period of interaction between a user or client and a software system. Session data tracks interaction state across multiple requests.
Stateless computation: Computation whose output depends only on its current inputs, not on remembered prior interactions. It avoids carrying state between independent computations.
Race condition: A flaw in which behavior depends on the timing or ordering of concurrent operations. Concurrent updates can make a system’s resulting state unpredictable.
Memory (computing): The components and mechanisms that store information for use by a computer. Stored information can preserve state across instructions and operations.
Context switch: The operating system’s act of saving one process’s execution context and restoring another’s. Saving and restoring context lets multiple processes retain distinct states.
Database transaction: A sequence of database operations treated as one logical unit of work. Transactions control how database state changes atomically.
Stateful system: A system whose outputs or behavior depend on information retained from earlier events or interactions. It makes dependence on retained state explicit.
Deadlock: A condition in which processes wait indefinitely for resources held by one another. The system’s resource state can prevent every involved process from progressing.