Ma'anar ƙamus na algorithm shine: "tsarin ƙa'idodi don magance matsala a cikin matakai masu iyaka, dangane da nemo babban mai rarraba gama gari." A cikin kwamfuta, algorithm hanya ce ta mataki-mataki don yin aiki ko warware matsala, galibi ana aiwatar da ita azaman shirin kwamfuta. Algorithm yawanci yana ɗaukar shigarwa, yana yin jerin lissafi ko ayyuka akan shigarwar, kuma yana samar da fitarwa. Ana amfani da algorithms a fannoni da yawa na kimiyyar kwamfuta, gami da basirar wucin gadi, nazarin bayanai, cryptography, da ilmin lissafi.