Glossary
Hosting terms, explained simply
Short explanations of the terms in hosting plans, in cPanel and in technical emails.
A
- AutoSSL
- A cPanel feature that automatically issues and renews free SSL certificates for hosted domains.
B
- Backup
- A safety copy of files, databases and emails. On HostON hosting, JetBackup makes copies daily.
- Bandwidth (traffic)
- The amount of data transferred between the server and visitors in a month.
C
- CageFS
- A CloudLinux component that isolates the files of each account. One user cannot see another's files.
- CDN
- A network of servers that delivers static files (images, CSS, JavaScript) from the location closest to the visitor.
- CloudLinux
- A Linux operating system for hosting servers. It limits memory, CPU and processes for each account, so that one user does not affect the others.
- CNAME
- A DNS record that makes one name an alias for another name, for example www.company.ro pointing to company.ro.
- cPanel
- A hosting control panel: files, email, databases, domains, SSL and backup.
- CPU (percentage)
- The processing power allocated to an account; 100% means the equivalent of one CPU core.
D
- Dedicated IP
- An IPv4 address used only by your account, not shared with other accounts on the server.
- DNS
- The system that translates domain names into IP addresses, so the browser can find the site's server. It works like the internet's phone book.
- DNS propagation
- The time it takes for DNS changes to reach all internet providers; usually a few hours.
- DNSSEC
- A security extension for DNS that cryptographically signs responses so that they cannot be forged.
- Domain
- The website's address on the internet, made up of a name and an extension (for example company.ro).
E
- Entry processes
- The number of PHP processes that can start at the same time on an account; it limits how many dynamic requests are processed simultaneously.
- EPP code (Auth Code)
- An authorisation code required when transferring a domain from one registrar to another. You get it from your current registrar.
F
- FTP / SFTP
- Protocols for transferring files between your computer and the server, for example with FileZilla. SFTP is the encrypted version.
H
- .htaccess
- A per-directory configuration file, used for redirects, rewrite rules and password protection; LiteSpeed reads it the same way as Apache.
- HTTPS
- The encrypted variant of the HTTP protocol, which uses an SSL/TLS certificate.
I
- IMAP
- An email protocol that keeps messages on the server, synchronised across all devices. POP3, by contrast, downloads messages locally.
- Imunify360
- A security package for servers: malware scanning, firewall and protection against brute-force attacks.
- Inodes
- The total number of files and directories in a hosting account.
- IPv4 / IPv6
- The versions of the internet addressing protocol. IPv4 has addresses such as 192.0.2.1, IPv6 longer addresses, such as 2001:db8::1.
J
- JetBackup
- Backup software for cPanel, with restore of files, databases or emails directly from the panel.
K
- KVM
- Full virtualisation. Each VPS has its own kernel and reserved resources.
L
- LiteSpeed
- A web server compatible with Apache, with built-in server-level cache (LSCache). It reads the same .htaccess files.
M
- MariaDB / MySQL
- Database systems used by WordPress, PrestaShop and most PHP applications.
- MX
- A DNS record that indicates the server that receives a domain's emails.
N
- Nameserver
- A DNS server that answers for a domain's zone. You set it at the registrar so that the domain points to your hosting.
- NVMe
- A type of SSD storage connected directly to the PCIe bus, faster than SATA SSDs.
P
- PHP
- A server-side programming language used by WordPress, Joomla, PrestaShop and many other applications.
R
- Registrar
- A company accredited to register domains for customers.
- Reseller
- Hosting with WHM, from which you create and manage separate cPanel accounts for your clients, under your own brand.
- Root
- The user with full rights on a Linux server; with a VPS you have root access.
S
- SLA
- A written commitment on a service's availability and the compensation if it is not met.
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC
- DNS records that confirm that emails sent in your domain's name are legitimate and reduce the risk of ending up in spam.
- SSH
- Encrypted access to the server's command line.
- SSL / TLS
- A protocol that encrypts the connection between browser and server; the certificate confirms the domain's identity.
T
- TLD
- A domain's extension, for example .ro, .com or .eu.
- TTL
- How long a DNS record stays in cache before it is requested again. With a low TTL, changes spread faster.
U
- Uptime
- The share of time a service is available. 99% per year means at most about 87 hours of downtime in a year.
V
- vCPU
- A virtual CPU core allocated to a VPS.
- VPS
- Virtual private server: a virtual machine with reserved resources, its own operating system and root access.
W
- Webmail
- Access to email from the browser, without an installed application.
- WHM
- The administration panel above cPanel, used in reseller hosting to create and manage accounts.
- WP Toolkit
- A cPanel tool for installing, updating, cloning and securing WordPress sites.
Frequently asked questions
With shared hosting, several accounts use the same server, with resource limits, and we manage the server. A VPS has reserved resources, its own operating system and root access, but you manage it yourself.
How many PHP processes can start at the same time on the account. For most brochure websites, the values in the basic plans are enough.
The number of files and directories in the account. A WordPress site with many plugins and images can have tens of thousands.
Without them, emails sent from your domain land in spam more often and are easier to forge.
