As with any specialty, web hosting has its own language of terms and abbreviations. The following list discusses some commonly-used web hosting terms you may encounter.
Table of Contents
- Apache web server
- Auto responder
- Backup
- Bandwidth
- Browser
- Top-level domain
- Plesk
- DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
- Domain name
- DNS (Domain Name System)
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- IP address
- JavaScript
- Linux
- MySQL
- PHP
- Shared hosting
- Auto Install
- SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
- WordPress
Apache web server
A web server delivers web content to users (usually on their web browsers). Apache is a popular, feature-rich, and stable web server that Privet Server Hosting uses for almost all of its hosting packages. For information about configuring Apache, please see these articles.
Auto responder
As its name implies, an auto responder automatically sends an e-mail response to the message sender. One of the most common and well-known examples of an auto responder is the “Out of Office” message reply. Similarly, you could configure your web site to automatically respond to e-mails sent to a particular address, such as info@example.com. For information about how to configure auto responders in cPanel, please see this article.
Backup
A backup is a copy of files or data. In the event of data loss or corruption, you can use a backup to restore data. For more information about backing up data, please see these articles.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the rate of data transfer. It is usually expressed as the amount of data transferred in a second, such as kilobits per second or gigabits per second.
Browser
A browser (or “web browser”) is a client application that parses HTML from a web server and displays it as a human-readable page. Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Apple Safari are all commonly used web browsers.
Plesk
Plesk is a web hosting control panel that enables you to quickly and easily configure many account settings. Plesk included with all Privet Server Partners managed hosting packages.
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack occurs when multiple computers flood a target system with network traffic. Depending on the target system's configuration, it may be unable to handle the increased traffic, and site performance may suffer.
Domain name
A domain name is a unique, human-readable identifier for a site, such as example.com or a2hosting.com. The domain name actually represents a numerical string (the IP address) that instructs a client where to access the actual server. For more information about domain names, please see this article.
DNS (Domain Name System)
DNS (Domain Name System) is the service that translates human-readable domain names (such as example.com) into numerical IP addresses that computers can understand (such as 93.184.216.119). When you buy a domain name, either you or the hosting company creates a DNS record that associates the domain name with a numerical IP address. For more information about DN.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a service for transferring files over the internet. By using an FTP client application such as FileZilla, you can upload (send) and download (receive) files from a remote server. For information about how to use FTP.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the standard language used to create web pages. A web browser receives raw HTML from a web server, parses it, and displays a human-readable web page.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the protocol used to transfer hypermedia (text, images, video, and more) across the internet. It is the basis for the World Wide Web (WWW), an interconnected collection of hypertext documents.
IP address
An IP address is a unique number (for example, 93.184.216.119) assigned to a device on a network. A domain name is a human-readable label (such as example.com) that points to the actual numeric IP address that computers can understand.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a client-side scripting language that enables developers to add dynamic content to a web site. Because it is a client-side technology, it runs in the user's web browser, not on the web server. Most web sites use at least some JavaScript.
Linux
Linux is a free and open source operating system similar in functionality to Unix. It is known for its stability and reliability, and is used in many computers around the world, particularly servers. All Privet Server Hosting servers run Linux.
MySQL
MySQL is a popular database system included in all Privet Server Hosting packages. It is often used in conjunction with PHP to build a wide variety of web applications, from WordPress to MediaWiki.
PHP
PHP is a free and open source scripting language that enables you to generate dynamic content by embedding code directly into the HTML of a web page. All Privet Server Hosting packages include PHP. For more information about PHP, please see this article.
Shared hosting
On a shared hosting package, the account shares server resources with other hosting accounts. It is an inexpensive way to run a web site and includes all of the benefits of managed hosting.
Auto Install
The Auto Installer is included with all Privet Server Hosting packages that have Plesk access. Auto Installer enables you to install many popular web applications, such as WordPress and Drupal, with just a few clicks.
Spam
“Spam” is a common term for unsolicited bulk (junk) e-mail messages. There are various methods and techniques for trying to reduce the amount of spam in user inboxes, but currently none of them is 100% effective at blocking all spam and permitting all legitimate messages.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a mechanism for providing secure and authenticated communications across a network. It is often used by web servers and web browsers, but it can also be used by mail servers and clients, and other applications. For more information about SSL, please see this article.
Top-level domain
The top-level domain is the right-most portion of a domain name. For example, in the domain name example.com, .com is the top-level domain. Other examples of top-level domains are .org, .net, .gov, and .edu, and there are many others.
Webmail
Webmail enables you to view and send e-mail messages from your web browser. This removes the need to install and configure a dedicated e-mail client application, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. It also means you can access your e-mail account from any internet-connected computer that has a web browser.
WordPress
WordPress is a popular open source blogging platform that is free and highly customizable. You can install WordPress on any Privet Server Hosting package, either by manual installation or Auto Installer (if your
