LLM Model Names Decoded: A Developer's Guide to Parameters, Quantization & Formats

TL;DR: "B" = billions of parameters. "IT" = instruction tuned. "Q4_K_M" = 4-bit quantization, a common default. "GGUF" = the format for Ollama and local tools. "MoE" = only a fraction of parameters activate per token. This guide decodes every component of LLM model names, explains quantization formats and file types, and points you to the best resources for researching which model fits your hardware and use case. If you've ever stared at a Hugging Face model page and seen something like unsloth...