# Encoder-Only Transformer

> Source: https://sukruyusufkaya.com/en/glossary/encoder-only-transformer
> Updated: 2026-05-13T20:49:59.397Z
> Type: glossary
> Category: derin-ogrenme
**TLDR:** A Transformer architecture focused on contextual representation learning and used mainly for understanding tasks.

<p>Encoder-only Transformer architectures are designed to transform input into rich contextual representations. They are highly effective in tasks such as classification, tagging, retrieval, and semantic representation learning. Because each token can use both left and right context, these models perform strongly in understanding-focused applications. The BERT family is among the best-known examples of this design.</p>