SLI
n.n. A specific measurement, like speed or error count, used to check if a computer service is working well for its users. It helps teams see if their technology is reliable.
n. An abbreviation for Service Level Indicator. It is a quantitative measure of some aspect of the level of service that is provided, such as latency, throughput, or availability. These metrics serve as the building blocks for service level objectives (SLOs).
We use response time as our main SLI for the website.
The engineering team tracks every SLI to ensure the application remains stable during high traffic.
By choosing the right SLI, such as the percentage of successful requests, the company can accurately measure the true user experience, though the term can also refer to Speech and Language Impairment in medical contexts.
An initialism of service level indicator. The term was formed by analogy with the service level agreement (SLA) and the service level objective (SLO) to distinguish specific metrics from broader contractual or target-based frameworks.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often used as a collective label for the condition; can be used as a modifier before other nouns like 'diagnosis' or 'research'.
Last updated July 22, 2026