Katib

Katib is a term of Arabic origin, derived from katib, meaning "writer" or "scribe." It is used across the Muslim world in several languages, including Turkish, Persian, Urdu, and Arabic. In modern usage it can function as an occupational title, a surname, or a given name, with various transliterations such as katip or kateeb.

Historically, a katib was a secretary or clerk within imperial or courtly administrations. In empires such as the Ottoman and the Mughal, katibs worked in chancery or diwān offices, drafting correspondence, maintaining records, and handling administrative documents. The role was part of a formal bureaucratic corps and could carry different ranks or honors depending on the court or empire.

In contemporary contexts, katib remains a common surname and is sometimes used as a given name in South Asia, Turkey, the Middle East, and communities with historical ties to Arabic and Persian administration. Spelling variations include katip and kateeb, reflecting differences in transliteration from local scripts.

In technology, Katib refers to a Kubernetes-native system for automated hyperparameter tuning, integrated with the Kubeflow ecosystem. It manages machine learning experiments by running multiple training jobs with different hyperparameter configurations. Katib supports several search algorithms, such as grid search, random search, Bayesian optimization, and genetic approaches, aiming to improve model performance while controlling compute usage.