What is the difference between functional and technical requirements?

Question

Accepted Answer

**Functional** — what system does. **Technical** — how system is built.

**Functional requirements:**
- Define system behavior.
- What the system should do.
- User-facing features.
- Business logic.

```
Examples:
- User can login with email/password
- System sends email confirmation
- User can search for products
```

**Technical requirements:**
- Define system implementation.
- How the system is built.
- Infrastructure and architecture.
- Performance and security.

```
Examples:
- System built with React and Node.js
- Database: PostgreSQL
- Hosted on AWS
- Response time < 200ms
```

**Key differences:**
- **Functional** — features.
- **Technical** — implementation.
- **Functional** — what.
- **Technical** — how.

Systems Analyst: What is the difference between functional and technical requirements?