Cloud Hosting Glossary
Struggling to tell your APIs from your CDNs? Read our comprehensive cloud computing glossary covering the most common terms.
Access Control
Access control is one of the fundamental security methods that can determine who has the right to view, modify, or utilize specific resources within a...
Active Server Pages (ASP)
Active Server Pages (ASP) is a server-side scripting technology developed by Microsoft in 1996. It allows web developers to create dynamic and interactive web pages...
Add-on Domain
An add-on domain is an extra domain that you can host under one web hosting account. Think of it as having multiple websites but paying...
AJAX
AJAX, short for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is a web development trick that lets web pages change their content without making you reload the whole...
AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux is a completely free, open-source version of Linux that’s made to be rock-solid and dependable, especially for businesses. It was created as an alternative...
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is similar to a huge virtual toolbox that offers an assortment of computing services. Rather than having to purchase and...
Analytics
Analytics is a scientific examination of data to reveal useful insights and patterns that can guide the decision making. This is the process of collecting,...
Anonymous FTP
Anonymous FTP is basically a way to allow people to ask for files from a computer server without having to sign up for an account...
Apache
Apache is a widely used, free and open source web software that allows individuals and organizations to host their websites on the Internet. Developed by...
Apache Modules
Apache modules are add-ons that enhance the functionality of the Apache HTTP server, which is among the most popular web servers globally. The modules enable...
APC (Alternative PHP Cache)
APC, or Alternative PHP Cache, is a free and open-source opcode caching solution designed to improve the performance of PHP applications. It works by caching...
API Documentation
API Documentation is a nitty-gritty instruction guide to a software application’s Application Programming Interface (API). Imagine an API as tools and building materials that enable...
API Gateway
An API gateway is a software layer that provides the single entry point for the many different APIs in a microservices architecture. It acts as...
API Rate Limiting
API Rate Limiting is a powerful technique to impose an upper limit on requests that an API can deal with in a predetermined time period....
Application
An application, often referred to as an app, is a software program designed to perform specific tasks or functions. It can run on various platforms,...
Application Hosting
Application hosting refers to deploying software applications on servers managed by third-party providers instead of hosting them locally within an organization’s infrastructure. This model allows...
Application Layer
The Application Layer is the seventh and highest layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. It is an abstraction layer that specifies the shared...
Application Monitoring
Application monitoring, often referred to as Application Performance Monitoring (APM), is the process of tracking and analyzing the performance, availability, and user experience of software...
Application Programming Interface (API)
An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of rules, protocols, and tools that enable communication and interaction between software applications. APIs allow developers to...
Asynchronous Loading
Asynchronous loading is a web development technique that allows resources (e.g., scripts, images, or CSS files) to load independently of one another and without blocking...
AUP (Acceptable Use Policy)
An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a set of rules and guidelines that dictate how users can utilize a company’s services, systems, or resources. It...
Auto-scaling
Auto-scaling is a cloud computing feature that automatically adjusts computational resources—such as CPU, memory, or storage—based on real-time demand. It ensures optimal performance during traffic...
Automatic Updates
Automatic updates refer to the process of automatically downloading and installing software patches, security fixes, or feature enhancements without requiring user intervention. This process ensures...
Autonomous
Autonomous systems are devices or software that can operate independently without needing constant human control. They use real-time data and algorithms to make decisions and...
Autoresponder
An autoresponder is an automated email system that sends predefined responses to incoming messages or triggers based on specific actions. It is commonly used in...
AWStats
AWStats is an open-source web analytics tool that analyzes server logs to generate detailed reports on website traffic. It provides insights into visitor behavior, page...
Back End
The back end of a web application or software program is the server-side infrastructure, database integration, and logic that underpin the front-end user interface. It...
Backup
Backup refers to a copy of data or files that are kept aside from the original data. This is necessary to prevent loss of data...
Bad Neighbor Effect
The Bad Neighbor Effect is a scenario in which a single website or user on a shared hosting server adversely affects the performance of other...
Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over a network connection in a specific period, typically measured in bits per...
Bandwidth Limit
A bandwidth limit refers to the maximum amount of data that a user or device is allowed to transfer over a network within a specific...
Bandwidth Monitoring
Bandwidth monitoring is the process of tracking and analyzing the amount of data transmitted over a network connection in real-time or over a specific period....
Bandwidth Throttling
Bandwidth throttling is the intentional slowing down of internet speed or data transfer rates by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or network administrator. It is...
Bare Metal Server
A bare metal server is a physical server dedicated to a single tenant, meaning it is exclusively used by one customer. Unlike virtual servers that...
Base64
Base64 is an encoding scheme that converts binary data into a text format using 64 ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). It is commonly...
Bcrypt
Bcrypt is a cryptographic hashing algorithm specifically designed for securely hashing passwords. Developed in 1999 by Niels Provos and David Mazières, it is based on...
Block Storage
Block storage is a type of data storage architecture where data is stored in fixed-sized blocks. Each block acts as an independent unit with its...
Brotli
Brotli is a high-efficiency, lossless data compression algorithm developed by Google in 2015. It is designed to reduce file sizes significantly, enhancing web performance by...
Brute-force Attack
A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method used by attackers to gain unauthorized access to accounts or encrypted data. It involves systematically trying all possible...
Cache
A cache is an abbreviated, efficient layer of storage for data which stores frequently needed data or calculation results temporarily. Its main use is to...
CDN Caching
CDN caching is the act of keeping copies of web content on servers across the globe, nearer to end-users. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) employ this...
CDN Provider
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) supplier is a company offering a distributed network of servers located in various geographical areas. They cache static and dynamic...
Cloud Backup
Cloud backup is the process of copying and storing digital data on remote servers provided by cloud service providers. This method ensures data safety against...
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is a model for delivering computing services over the internet. It provides on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g.,...
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is a type of web hosting where resources such as servers, storage, and applications are provided over the internet as a service. It...
Cloud Migration
Cloud migration refers to the process of moving applications, data, or other business elements from on-premises environments to cloud computing environments. This transition aims to...
Cloud Server
A cloud server is a virtual server that operates in a cloud computing environment, providing on-demand access to computing resources over the internet. It is...
Cloud Storage
Cloud storage refers to the model of storing data on remote servers accessed over the internet. It allows users to store, manage, and retrieve data...
Cloudflare
Cloudflare is a web infrastructure and security company that provides a content delivery network (CDN), DDoS protection, web application firewall (WAF), and other services to...
Cloudflare Workers
Cloudflare Workers is a serverless computing platform provided by Cloudflare that allows developers to run JavaScript code at the edge of its network. This enables...
CloudLinux
CloudLinux is a Linux-based operating system designed specifically for shared hosting providers. It improves server stability, security, and efficiency by isolating users in a shared...
Clustering
Clustering refers to the process of grouping a set of objects, data points, or systems into clusters (groups) based on their similarities or shared characteristics....
CNAME (Canonical Name Record)
A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is a type of DNS (Domain Name System) record that maps an alias domain name to a canonical domain name....
CodeIgniter
CodeIgniter is an open-source PHP web application framework that simplifies the development of dynamic web pages and applications. It uses the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern...
Compliance Standards
Compliance standards refer to the set of rules, regulations, and guidelines that organizations must adhere to in order to ensure their operations, data handling, and...
Containerization
Containerization is a software deployment method that involves packaging an application along with its dependencies, configuration files, and libraries into a single, lightweight unit called...
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a distributed network of servers strategically placed across different geographic locations to deliver web content to users more quickly...
Content Delivery Optimization
Content Delivery Optimization refers to the process of enhancing the speed, efficiency, and reliability of delivering digital content—such as web pages, videos, and applications—to users....
Content Management Framework (CMF)
A Content Management Framework (CMF) is a software platform that provides tools and libraries for building and managing web content systems or applications. Unlike a...
Content Management System (CMS)
A Content Management System (CMS) is software that enables users to create, manage, and modify digital content on websites or applications without requiring extensive technical...
Content Security Policy (CSP)
A Content Security Policy (CSP) is a security standard designed to prevent malicious attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS), clickjacking, and data injection by controlling...
Control Panel
A control panel in web hosting is a graphical user interface (GUI) that simplifies the management of websites, servers, and hosting services. It allows users...
Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on a user’s device by a website they visit. They are used to remember information about the user’s session...
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the primary component of a computer that executes instructions from programs by performing arithmetic, logical, control, and input/output (I/O)...
Cron Job
A Cron Job is a scheduled task in Unix-like operating systems that automates repetitive processes such as running scripts, performing backups, or sending emails at...
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is a web security mechanism that allows a web page to access resources from a different origin (domain, protocol, or port)...
Data Center
Data center refers to a core facility that stores computer hardware, storage units, and network equipment. Data center is among the core infrastructure of the...
Data Encryption
Data center is the central building which houses computer equipment, storage and network devices. Data center is one of the central infra of the organization...
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a group of processes, technologies, and strategies that work to prevent the loss, misuse, or unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information....
E-commerce
Electronic commerce, also known as e-commerce, means the sale and purchase of services and goods using the internet. It is an umbrella term covering many...
Edge Computing
Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm that processes data closer to the source of generation, typically on devices or local servers at the edge...
EFS (Elastic File System)
Edge computing is a distributed computing model that computes data nearer to the point of generation, usually on local servers or devices at the network...
Failover
Failover is a redundant working mode that is used automatically for a standby or redundant system in case the primary system becomes unavailable due to...
File Storage
File storage is the process of saving digital files in a safe and convenient way. It can be done through different media, such as local...
Function as a Service (FaaS)
Function as a Service (FaaS) is a model of cloud computing that allows application functions to be executed and operated by developers without provisioning or...
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a set of cloud computing services provided by Google. It is a collection of tools and services for computing, storage,...
Green Hosting
Green hosting, or eco-friendly web hosting, is an environmentally friendly method of web hosting that has less impact on the environment by powering data centers...
Hosting Provider
A hosting provider is an organization that supplies services to host websites, applications, or information on servers. Providers of hosting manage the facilities needed for...
HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a web security policy feature that assists in guarding websites against man-in-the-middle attacks by enforcing that web browsers always...
Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud is an environment that converges public cloud services, private cloud services, and on-premises infrastructure. This model enables organizations to tap the strength...
Incident Response
Incident response is the methodical process that organizations utilize to identify, control, and contain cybersecurity incidents. It entails a formal approach to detecting, analyzing, and...
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is the underlying systems and structures upon which an organization or society works. In the case of IT, infrastructure includes the hardware, software, networks,...
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a model of cloud computing offering on-demand usage of computing resources like servers, storage, networking, and virtualization over the...
Jira
One cloud-based project management tool that Atlassian developed is called Jira. It is also utilized for problem tracking, cross-functional team collaboration, and agile project planning....
Kubernetes
Kubernetes, commonly referred to as K8s, is an open-source container orchestration platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It was initially...
Laravel
Laravel is an open-source, free PHP web development framework that seeks to simplify the development of web applications and facilitate faster development. It is a...
Latency
Latency, also known as network latency or lag, is the time it takes for data to move between two points over a network, usually from...
Load Balancer
A load balancer is a software or hardware that divides network traffic across more than one server in order to maximize application availability, performance, and...
Magento
Magento is a well-known open-source e-commerce software solution used for building and operating online stores. It has a comprehensive set of tools for building scalable...
Malware Protection
Malware protection is the approach, mechanisms, and methods utilized to prevent, detect, and counter malware threats. Malware consists of many forms of malicious software such...
Managed Cloud Services (MCS)
Managed Cloud Services (MCS) involve the outsourced management of cloud infrastructure by a third-party supplier. These services include functions such as provisioning of infrastructure, management...
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Network Attached Storage (NAS) is a networked data storage appliance on the file level that provides access to files from many users and devices in...
Network Latency
Network delay is defined as the time lag of network communication, quantified as the time between when data is sent from the source and received...
Network Protocols
Network protocols are formalized sets of rules that regulate the way data is formatted, sent, received, and confirmed on networks. Protocols allow devices to communicate...
Object Storage
Object storage is a data storage model that stores data as individual units referred to as “objects.” An object includes the data itself, metadata (information...
On-Premises
On-premises describes IT infrastructure, systems, software, and data that are hosted and controlled within an organization’s own facilities, including office buildings or data centers. This...
Open Source
Open source software is software whose source code is freely available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute. The openness and collaborative nature enable programmers...
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing, or pen testing, and ethical hacking are a hypothetical cyber attack on a computer network in a bid to detect vulnerabilities and gauge...
PHP
PHP, or “PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor,” is a very widely used open-source server-side scripting language. It is mainly used for web development, enabling developers to develop...
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing paradigm that provides the user with an entire platform for developing, running, and maintaining applications via...
No data found.
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a storage technology that takes several physical drives and creates a single logical unit to improve data redundancy,...
RAM (Random Access Memory)
Random Access Memory (RAM) is computer memory that temporarily stores data and programs while a computer is in operation. RAM provides immediate access to data,...
Raw Logs
Raw logs are unprocessed log files that hold extensive information regarding system activities, including server activity, user interactions, and error messages. Raw logs are usually...
Scalability
Scalability is the capability of a system, application, or organization to process additional workload or demand without sacrificing performance. It entails the potential to increase...
Server
Server is a computer or application program that delivers services, resources, or information to other computers, referred to as clients, across a network. These services...
Server Location
Server location is the geographical physical address where a server is located. This has a huge impact on website performance, security, and user experience. Servers...
TLD (Top-Level Domain)
Top-Level Domain, abbreviated as TLD, is the final segment of a domain name following the last dot. It identifies the type or purpose of a...
TLS (Transport Layer Security)
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a cryptographic protocol that is employed to facilitate secure communication between browsers and web servers on the internet. It ensures...
Token Authentication
Token authentication refers to a security measure that checks the identity of users with customized tokens instead of common login names such as user identities...
Uptime
Uptime refers to the percentage of time when a server, website, or system is operational and accessible to users over an interval. Uptime is one...
URL Rewriting
URL rewriting is a method of altering Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) to improve their readability, usability, and search engine optimizable. It is the process of...
User Authentication
User authentication is the process of confirming the identity of users trying to access a system, network, or device. It protects sensitive data or resources...
Varnish
Varnish is a reverse caching proxy built as an HTTP accelerator for dynamic websites and content-intensive APIs with a lot of traffic. It is a...
Version Control
Version control, or source control or revision control, is a software development practice that allows tracking and management of changes to code, documents, or other...
Vertical Scaling
Vertical scaling, or “scaling up,” entails boosting the capacity of a system by adding resources to a current machine or server. This can be done...
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a security appliance used to monitor, filter, and block HTTP traffic between a web application and the Internet. It...
Web Application Performance Management (APM)
Web Application Performance Management (APM) is a practice that involves monitoring, analysis, and tuning of web application performance, availability, and end-user experience. It utilizes software...
Web Hosting
Web hosting is a service by which individuals and companies are able to make their sites available across the internet. Web hosting involves the hosting...
XML-RPC
XML-RPC (Extensible Markup Language Remote Procedure Call) is a specification of the protocol for making remote procedure calls (RPCs) with XML being used to encode...
No data found.
Zero-Day Vulnerability
A zero-day vulnerability is a hitherto unknown security flaw in software, hardware, or firmware which an attacker may exploit before the vendor knows of it...