# Glossary ### QPU Endpoint A QPU Endpoint is a collection of services that enables users to run a job on a QPU. ### Gateway A service that enables highly available on-demand access for running jobs on the QPU. See [QCS QPU Gateway](/qcs/guides/access-a-qpu/qcs-qpu-gateway.md) ### Compilation and Translation When preparing a program to run on a QPU, it usually goes through two compilation steps. The first is `quilc`, the optimizing compiler. The second compiles your program down to the machine code needed to run your program on a QPU's control system. While these are both technically compilation steps, we've historically referred to the latter as "translation" to differentiate it from `quilc` compilation. See [How Programs Are Built & Run](/qcs/guides/how-programs-are-built-and-run.md)for more details on these compilation steps. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.rigetti.com/qcs/glossary.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.