When you are looking for a new web host, you will find strange technical terms. For a beginner, web hosting language can be confusing and the definitions may sound overly technical.
Worry not, for we have curated a handy list of web hosting terms which can help you learn the language of the web. Use this glossary to help you find a new web host or get familiar with the current host.
.htaccess – hypertext access is a configuration file that works along with Apache-based web servers
Apache – a famous open-source domain web server is widely used on the internet. The open-source code lets users change the server to suit their needs.
Bandwidth – also called data transfer, bandwidth is the amount of information that is transmitted over the internet in a specific time. It is measured in bytes.
Cloud hosting – is a cluster of servers that store data virtually in a cloud. The cloud server owner can access the data from anywhere and at any time.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) – a program that enables HTML by communicating between servers and scripts.
Cookie – helps the site identify users and curate customized web pages. It is a message sent from a web server to a browser and stored as a text file. It sent back to the server when the browser requests a page from the server.
Disk space – the amount of space available for users to store website files on the host’s server.
Domain name system (DNS) – stores a database of domain names and their IP addresses, so that the search request can be routed to the server of the website when a user searches the domain.
File transfer protocol – a method used for exchanging files over the internet (uploading/ downloading files to a server)
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML (sound familiar?)) – The majority of web pages on the internet, are written in this cross-platform language. The browsers interpret the codes and format it for the visitors.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) – the primary protocol for transferring and receiving data on the web. It involves a browser connecting to a server and sending a request to get back appropriate data from the server.
IP address – the internet protocol address is a distinct, numerical allotted to a web page or a computer. Example – 147.65.45.31
Load time – the time a page takes to open in a browser window. Load times have to be the fastest!
PHP – is an open-source scripting language. The commands are embedded in the HTML of a webpage and processed by a server.
Root server – aka DNS root name server, has the necessary data and software for locating name servers containing authoritative data
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) – a protocol which provides encryption for transactions of highly sensitive data between browsers and servers. Websites can use SSL after obtaining an official certificate of authority.
Server – unique networked computers which can handle client requests like web pages, data, file transfer and more.
Shared hosting – is a system in which multiple websites and clients share a single server. Each account has specific limits on space and transferable data. Shared hosting is a basic and affordable hosting
Static IP – an unchanging IP address allocated to a website by the hosting provider.
Web hosting – is a service that provides location, space and storage, connectivity services for websites that are accessed on the internet and viewed by users on the internet. Created sites are uploaded to a web hosting provider’s server.
We hope this glossary will help you with your hosting journey. Make sure you understand these basic terms before choosing a web hosting provider for your website.
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