Hosting your website does not need to be a daunting task and finding a provider that is inexpensive but yet still responsive to support related issues is possible. We hope the following terms help you get a better understanding and remove some of the mystic surrounding hosting your website.

Alias Addresses
An alias address allows you to have alternative email addresses automatically forward to your main mailbox. For example, if your email address is sarah@domain.com you could have sara@domain.com as an alias in case of a spelling error.

Applet
An applet is an embedded program on a web site. Applets are often written in the coding language known as Java. They are usually used for creating a virtual object which may move or interact with the web site. An applet is like a small piece of executable code that needs a full application to operate it.

Auto Responder
An auto responder is a user defined message that will automatically be sent in reply to any incoming email. For example, this is useful if someone is away on holidays and would like others to know their return date.

Backbone
A high-speed line or series of connections that completes a major pathway inside a network. The term is relative as a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network. In general, the better the backbone of the hosting company, the higher the availability of the web sites that operate on their computers.

cPanel
is a Unix based web hosting control panel that supplies a graphical interface and automation tools designed to simplify the process of hosting a web site. cPanel makes use of a 3 tier framework which offers functionality for administrators, resellers, and end-user website managers to control the different aspects of website and server administration via a standard web browser.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
Used to add additional functionality to simple HTML pages. Internet Explorer version 3. and up support a good portion of CSS, while Netscape 4. and up supports a small amount of CSS – a fully compliant browser does not exist yet.

Database A database is a collection of information that can be queried to find certain results. An example of a database would be a searchable phone number directory.

DNS
Domain Name Server. A service which translates domain names to IP addresses and vice versa. This allows for any domain name you register to point to your website.

Domain Name
A unique name that identifies an Internet address.

Fantastico
Fantastico is a commercial script library that automates the installation of web applications to a website.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol. A way of transferring files over the Internet from one computer to another. An example of this would be uploading your website onto the web server; you would do so by using FTP. We use Filezilla to mange this process and it is a FREE program.

IP Address
An IP address is a unique number given to a computer when it is on the Internet. This allows any other computer to communicate with it in order to view web pages and send email.

Perl
A robust programming language used for creating web applications.

PHP
PHP is a popular web application programming language which is used on thousands of sites.

Python
Another web application programming language.

Server Space
Server space is how much room you have for files and email on the server.

Spam Filtration
A spam filter allows you to block junk mail from your inbox. You can block email based on keywords, email addresses, names and more.

SQL
Structured Query Language. A language used to insert, modify or retrieve information from a database.

SSL
Secure Socket Layers. A technology used on the Internet to secure web pages and transactions by means of encryption. For example, this would be useful for protecting sensitive data during online banking.

Sub Domain
A sub domain allows you to have a prefix on your current domain name. An example of this would be members.domain.com for an easy-to-remember address.

Traffic Allotment
Traffic allotment is the amount of file transfer you are able to use per month. Every time someone views a page on your site they are using traffic to do so.

Virus Scanner
An application to scan files for any virus they might contain. If a virus is found the file can be deleted or contained for further evaluation.

WebMail
WebMail allows you to access your email account from any computer in the world. It is basically a web-based version of an email application that allows you to read, reply, forward and create email all via a web browser.

Website Statistics
Statistics can provide you with a wealth of information about the traffic and people that visit your site. You can see how many visits you get each day, which search terms they are using to find your site, which sites are linking to you, and much more.

Filed under: Hosting, Hosting Terms