Glossary

0–9

19-inch rack

A standard equipment frame used to organise compatible servers and networking hardware. A rack describes physical mounting, not a hosting plan’s performance.

A

Adobe ColdFusion

A web-application development platform associated with CFML. Its presence in a hosting reference does not mean it is supported by your chosen plan.

Angelfire

A website-publishing and hosting brand appearing in the early history of personal web hosting. It is included here as background terminology.

ASP.NET

Microsoft’s web-application technology family. Required runtime versions and dependencies vary by application; confirm compatibility before choosing a Windows hosting plan.

B

Backup and restore

A backup is a recoverable copy; restoration is the process of recovering from it. A complete WordPress recovery may need both files and its database. Confirm coverage and test the recovery procedure.

Bandwidth and storage

Storage is capacity for persistent data. Bandwidth allowances concern data transfer. Neither figure alone predicts an application’s speed. Compare the actual hosting allowances.

Blog

A publication usually organised around dated posts. It may use a hosted platform or a content-management application installed on suitable hosting.

Broadband

A broad category of high-capacity communications access. An internet connection’s terms and characteristics matter if you intend to operate services from it.

C

Central processing unit

The CPU executes instructions. Core counts describe part of a server specification; application performance also depends on workload, software and other resources.

Client–server model

An arrangement in which clients request services from servers. Your browser is a client when it requests a page from a web server.

Cloud computing

Computing resources supplied as a service from shared infrastructure. The word cloud alone does not promise automatic scaling, particular billing or application management.

Cloudflare

An internet-services provider whose products include network and website services. Cloudflare Pages is a publishing product; a brand name does not define your hosting entitlement.

Clustered web hosting

Hosting using several cooperating servers. Its resilience and capacity depend on the implementation; the term alone does not establish a guaranteed uptime level.

Code

A system of representations; in website discussions the word often means program instructions. The linked encyclopedia article is broad, so software-specific meaning needs context.

Colocation centre

A facility providing space and supporting infrastructure for customers’ equipment. Owning colocated hardware brings different responsibilities from renting a managed hosting platform.

Computer

A machine that processes instructions and stores data. A computer providing services to other devices can act as a server.

Computer security

The practices used to protect systems and their users. Hosting-provider controls do not remove the need for secure application settings, updates and credentials.

Computer tower

An upright enclosure for computer hardware, including smaller minitower forms. Data-centre mounting requirements are separate from the software a server runs.

Content delivery network

Distributed delivery infrastructure commonly used to serve website resources nearer to visitors. Coverage and caching behaviour depend on the selected service and configuration.

Content management

The processes used to create, organise, review and publish information. This work can involve people and policies as well as software.

Continuous integration

A development workflow that frequently combines changes and runs automated checks. It can support deployment, but checks must reflect the project’s actual risks.

Credential

Information used to establish identity or authority, such as account authentication details. Share access only through an agreed secure route and restrict privileges appropriately.

D

Data security

Measures protecting data against inappropriate access, alteration or loss. Infrastructure protection, application configuration and recovery planning each require attention.

Database

An organised store of application data. A website migration may need its database as well as files, and the destination must support the required database technology.

Dedicated hosting service

A hosting arrangement involving a server dedicated to a customer. Hardware access, administration and provider responsibilities depend on the actual contract and service scope.

Denial-of-service attack

An attack intended to make a service unavailable, sometimes using many distributed sources. Protection capabilities and response commitments must be confirmed for the actual service.

DNS records and TTL

A/AAAA records provide IP addresses; MX records concern incoming email; CNAME records provide aliases; TXT records contain text. TTL specifies caching lifetime, not a universal completion deadline. · Domains and DNS guide.

Domain Name System

DNS publishes records connecting names with services and other information. Website, mail and verification records can all be affected by a DNS-zone change.

Domain registration and renewal

Registration establishes a time-limited right to use a name. Renewal extends that registration under the applicable terms. Check both prices, dates and contact details.

Downtime

A period when a system or service is unavailable. The definition used for reporting or a contractual remedy depends on the relevant service agreement.

Dynamic DNS

A method for updating DNS information when an address changes. It can help maintain a name pointing to a changing destination.

E

Eleventy (software)

A static-site generator also called 11ty. It turns source content and templates into files for publishing; it is one example of this tool category.

Email

Electronic messages exchanged between users and systems. Website hosting and mailbox hosting may be supplied separately, so plan both during a move.

Email hosting service

A service providing mailbox-related infrastructure. Compare mailbox count, storage and access features independently from website storage or domain registration.

F

File Transfer Protocol

A protocol for moving files between systems. Plain FTP does not protect credentials in transit; confirm a supported secure transfer method before use.

File-hosting service

A service for storing and delivering files. It need not provide the application environment required to run a complete dynamic website.

G

General Data Protection Regulation

An EU personal-data protection framework. Applicable obligations depend on the organisation and processing; a hosting glossary is not an account-specific compliance assessment.

GeoCities

A historically prominent service for publishing personal websites. Its appearance in hosting history is not a recommendation or a Premium Hosting offering.

Git

A version-control system for tracking project changes. Git access on a hosting plan supports a development workflow; it is not a backup policy by itself.

GitHub

A platform for working with version-controlled software projects. GitHub Pages is an associated static-site publishing service; confirm its requirements separately.

Green hosting

Hosting described in environmental terms, such as its energy or emissions arrangements. Specific environmental claims need evidence; the label alone is not a verified commitment.

H

Hardware virtualization

Technology allowing virtual computing environments to run on physical infrastructure. Resource allocation and isolation depend on the implementation and selected service.

High availability

An architectural goal of keeping a service accessible despite faults. Actual availability requires measurement; it cannot be inferred from a marketing label alone.

Home server

A server operated from a domestic environment. Connectivity, power, security and recovery need planning when it provides a publicly accessible service.

Host (network)

A system participating in a network and communicating with other systems. A hosting account can use several hosts for different services.

HTTPS and certificates

HTTPS uses TLS to protect web communications. Certificate coverage and validation are separate from protecting every aspect of an application. · SSL options.

I

Image hosting service

A service focused on storing and delivering images. File limits, access controls and embedding arrangements depend on the particular service.

Internet

The interconnected networks carrying traffic between devices worldwide. A hosting service needs connectivity as well as computing and storage resources.

Internet application management

Work involved in deploying, administering and maintaining internet applications. Confirm which tasks are performed by the provider and which remain with the customer.

Internet forum

A website for organised discussions, usually with accounts and stored posts. Its hosting needs depend on the forum software, database and workload.

Internet hosting service

A service that runs internet-connected infrastructure for websites or other applications. Website, email, DNS and file hosting can have different scopes.

Internet service provider

A business providing internet connectivity or related services. The provider connecting your office is not necessarily the company hosting your website.

IP address

A network address used to identify an interface for communication. A static address is intended to remain fixed; a dynamic address may change.

J

Jakarta EE

A collection of specifications for enterprise Java applications, previously known as Java EE. Applications require an appropriate runtime and deployment environment.

M

Malware

Software intended to cause harm or act without appropriate consent. Scanning, investigation and recovery are different activities; confirm the scope of any purchased service.

Managed and unmanaged responsibilities

Managed describes work covered by a service, not every possible administration task. Premium Hosting Cloud manages the underlying platform; unmanaged VPS customers administer their operating system and applications. Read the Cloud and VPS responsibilities before choosing.

O

Online video platform

A platform for publishing or delivering video. Media processing and delivery requirements can differ significantly from those of ordinary website files.

P

Pastebin

A service for sharing text snippets. Avoid placing passwords, access tokens or confidential diagnostics in publicly accessible pasted content.

Peer-to-peer

A network arrangement where participating systems can provide resources to one another. It describes an architecture, not a particular hosting package.

Peer-to-peer web hosting

Hosting that distributes website delivery across participating peers. It differs from relying on one central hosting server and is background context here.

Personal web page

A website or page maintained for an individual’s interests, work or identity. Its technical requirements still depend on the software and services it uses.

PHP

A programming language widely used by server-side websites, including WordPress. Check the supported version and extensions against your application’s requirements.

Plack (software)

A Perl web-application toolkit associated with the PSGI interface. Check the actual application’s environment rather than assuming all Linux hosting supports every toolkit.

Privacy policy

A notice explaining how an organisation handles personal information. Read the provider’s actual notice rather than assuming all hosting services process data identically.

R

Random-access memory

RAM holds data actively used by running software. It is different from persistent disk space, and application needs can change during peak activity.

Repository (version control)

A stored project and its revision history. A deployment workflow may build or publish a website from a selected repository revision.

Reseller

A business selling services obtained from another supplier. The customer-facing provider’s own terms, support scope and catalogue determine the purchased service.

Ruby on Rails

A web-application framework written in Ruby. It has its own runtime and deployment requirements; generic web-hosting availability does not establish compatibility.

S

Self-hosting (network)

Running and administering a service yourself. The hardware may be at home or rented elsewhere; you still need a plan for updates, security and recovery.

Server (computing)

Hardware or software that provides a service to clients. One physical machine can run several services or host several virtual server environments.

Service-level agreement

An agreement defining service commitments, measurement and any remedies. Check the actual document’s scope and exclusions; a glossary does not create a hosting guarantee.

Shared web hosting service

Hosting where multiple customers use shared server infrastructure. Compare each plan’s allowances, tools and restrictions rather than assuming every shared plan is equivalent.

Shopping cart software

Application software supporting product selection and an ordering workflow. Hosting, payment integrations, data protection and operational testing are separate parts of a working shop.

Spamming

Sending unsolicited or repetitive messages at scale. It can create operational and reputational problems; review the hosting service’s acceptable-use rules.

SSL and TLS (Transport Layer Security)

TLS protects communications between systems and underpins modern HTTPS. SSL remains a common product label, although modern secure connections use TLS.

Static site generator

Software that builds prepared website files from content and templates. The resulting files can be published to a suitable web-hosting environment.

Static web page

A page delivered from prepared content, rather than generated anew for each request by application code. Static sites can still include browser-side interactions.

Superuser

A highly privileged operating-system account, often called root on Unix-like systems. Administrative access requires careful control because changes can affect the entire environment.

T

Telnet

An older remote-terminal protocol. Its traditional form does not encrypt a session; use the secure access method your provider supports instead.

Top-level domain and subdomain

The top-level domain is the final label, such as .com or .uk. A subdomain adds a label below a domain, such as shop.example.com. The .co.uk registration extension sits within .uk.

Transmission Control Protocol

TCP provides an ordered, reliable stream of data between network endpoints. Application protocols use network transport, but transport reliability does not guarantee website availability.

Tripod (web hosting)

A website-building and hosting service associated with early personal publishing on the web. It is separate from Premium Hosting.

U

Upload

Sending data from your device to another system. Uploading website files is one part of publishing; databases and application settings may need separate handling.

Uptime

The time a system remains operational. A running server and a website reachable by its users are related but different measurements.

URL

A resource address that can include a scheme, hostname, path and other components. The domain name is only one part of a URL.

Usenet

A distributed discussion system organised into newsgroups. It is part of internet history and is different from a modern website’s hosting account.

V

Virtual private server

A virtual server environment with an allocated resource specification. For an unmanaged VPS, the customer handles operating-system administration unless additional agreed services cover it.

W

Web cache

Stored responses reused to reduce repeated work or delivery time. Cache settings affect freshness, so test how changes appear to visitors.

Web content management system

Software for editing and publishing website content. Hosting supplies its environment; maintaining the application and its content is a separate responsibility.

Web hosting

The environment and services used to make a website available online. Choose a platform compatible with your application, then compare its resource allowances and responsibilities.

Web hosting control panel

An interface for administering hosting functions such as domains, files, databases and email. Available controls and permissions depend on the product and account.

Web page

An individual document or screen delivered on the web. A website normally contains multiple pages and associated images, styles or application resources.

Web server

Software or infrastructure that handles web requests and returns resources. Supporting an application’s runtime and database may require additional components.

Webmaster

A person responsible for operating or maintaining a website. Hosting administration, content editing and development may be handled by different people.

Website

A collection of web pages and associated resources available under an online identity. Its domain name and the infrastructure hosting its content are separate concepts.

WordPress and staging

WordPress is website-publishing software. Staging is a separate working copy used to test changes before applying them to a live site. Confirm how the copy and deployment work on your plan. · WordPress hosting.

WordPress.com

A hosted publishing service associated with WordPress. It is distinct from installing WordPress software on a Premium Hosting WordPress hosting plan.

World Wide Web

The linked pages and resources people access with web browsers. It uses the internet, which also carries services beyond the web.

Sources and acknowledgements

Definitions are concise explanations for website owners, with references collected below. Wikipedia topics are drawn from its web hosting service article; Wikipedia material uses CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata uses CC0. A term appearing here does not mean it is a Premium Hosting product or a service guarantee. For current features and prices, check our product pages and checkout.