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Two-Factor Authentication — requires a second verification method (SMS code, authenticator app) in addition to password for login security.

A DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. The most fundamental DNS record type for pointing domains to servers.

The maximum amount of data that can be transferred between a server and visitors in a given time period, usually measured in GB/month.

A copy of website files and databases stored separately for disaster recovery. Best practice: daily automated backups with 30-day retention.

Hosting distributed across multiple interconnected servers. Offers auto-scaling, high availability, and pay-as-you-go pricing.

Placing your own server hardware in a data center facility that provides power, cooling, bandwidth, and physical security.

Central Processing Unit — the server processor that executes code and processes requests. Measured in cores and clock speed (GHz).

The most popular web hosting control panel. Provides a graphical interface for managing domains, email, databases, files, and server settings.

Content Delivery Network — a global network of edge servers that cache and deliver content from the location nearest to each visitor, reducing latency.

Storing frequently accessed data in temporary fast-access storage. Types: browser cache, server cache (Redis/Memcached), page cache, CDN cache.

Canonical Name record — a DNS alias that points one domain to another domain instead of an IP address. Used for subdomains and CDN setup.

A scheduled task that runs automatically at specified intervals. Used for backups, email sending, database cleanup, and content updates.

An entire physical server exclusively allocated to one customer. Maximum performance, full root access, and complete control.

The total storage capacity available on the server for website files, databases, emails, and logs. Measured in GB or TB.

A physical facility housing servers with redundant power, cooling, networking, and physical security. Location affects latency for visitors.

Defense against Distributed Denial of Service attacks that flood a server with traffic. Includes traffic filtering, rate limiting, and absorption.

The human-readable address of a website (e.g., example.com). Registered through domain registrars for annual fees.

Domain Name System — translates domain names into IP addresses. Changes (propagation) can take 24-48 hours to spread globally.

DomainKeys Identified Mail — adds a digital signature to outgoing emails, allowing receivers to verify the email wasn't altered in transit.

A service that runs email servers, allowing you to create professional email addresses using your domain (e.g., you@yourdomain.com).

A security system that monitors and filters network traffic based on rules. Web Application Firewalls (WAF) specifically protect against web attacks.

File Transfer Protocol — used to upload/download files to/from a server. SFTP (SSH-based) is the secure modern alternative.

A compression algorithm that reduces file sizes by 60-80% before transfer. Speeds up page loading by reducing bandwidth usage.

A version control system that tracks code changes. Git-based deployment allows pushing code to servers via git push commands.

The second major version of HTTP protocol. Supports multiplexing (multiple requests over one connection), header compression, and server push.

The latest HTTP protocol built on QUIC (UDP-based). Eliminates head-of-line blocking, reduces connection setup time, and improves mobile performance.

Internet Message Access Protocol — syncs emails across multiple devices by keeping messages on the server. Changes reflect everywhere.

A unique numerical label assigned to each device on a network. Dedicated IPs improve email reputation and allow direct server access.

Distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers to prevent any single server from being overwhelmed. Improves performance and reliability.

The delay (in milliseconds) between a request being sent and the response starting. Lower latency = faster experience for users.

A high-performance web server and caching solution. Drop-in Apache replacement that can be 6x faster with built-in page/object caching.

A free, automated Certificate Authority providing domain-validated SSL/TLS certificates. Widely supported by hosting providers.

The hosting provider handles server management tasks like updates, security patches, backups, and monitoring on your behalf.

A distributed memory caching system that speeds up dynamic websites by caching data objects in RAM to reduce database load.

Automated security scanning that detects malicious code, backdoors, and vulnerabilities in website files and databases.

Mail Exchange record — a DNS record that specifies which mail servers handle email for a domain and their priority order.

The most popular open-source relational database. Used by WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and most PHP-based applications.

A refund policy allowing cancellation within a specified period (typically 30-90 days) for a full refund. Risk-free trial.

The process of moving a website from one hosting provider to another. Many hosts offer free migration assistance for new customers.

Non-Volatile Memory Express — the fastest SSD protocol, connecting directly to the CPU via PCIe bus. Up to 7x faster than standard SATA SSD.

Servers that store DNS records and direct traffic for domains. Typically provided by your hosting provider (e.g., ns1.host.com).

A JavaScript runtime for server-side programming. Enables real-time applications and is used by frameworks like Next.js and Express.

PHP opcode cache that stores precompiled script bytecode in memory, eliminating the need to parse PHP files on every request.

A web hosting control panel alternative to cPanel. Supports both Linux and Windows servers with a modern interface.

Background processes that execute PHP code. More workers = more simultaneous requests your site can handle without queuing.

A server-side programming language that powers ~80% of websites including WordPress. PHP 8.x offers significant speed improvements.

Purchasing hosting resources in bulk and reselling them to third parties under your own brand. Common for web agencies.

Random Access Memory — temporary high-speed memory used by the server to process active requests. More RAM = more concurrent operations.

Full administrative privileges on a server, allowing installation of any software, custom configurations, and system-level changes.

An in-memory key-value database used for object caching. Dramatically speeds up dynamic sites by caching database queries in RAM.

Multiple websites share the same server resources (CPU, RAM, storage). Most affordable option, ideal for small sites.

Solid State Drive — storage that uses flash memory chips instead of spinning disks. 10-100x faster than traditional HDD drives.

Service Level Agreement — a contractual guarantee of service quality, typically specifying minimum uptime percentage and compensation for violations.

Secure Sockets Layer — encrypts data between the visitor's browser and the server. Indicated by the HTTPS prefix and padlock icon in browsers.

A prefix added to a domain (e.g., blog.example.com). Each subdomain can be pointed to a different server or directory.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol — the standard protocol for sending outgoing emails. Used for transactional and marketing email delivery.

Sender Policy Framework — a DNS record that specifies which servers are authorized to send email for your domain. Prevents spoofing.

SSH File Transfer Protocol — a secure file transfer method that encrypts both commands and data. Standard for modern hosting.

Secure Shell — an encrypted protocol for secure remote command-line access to a server. Essential for VPS and dedicated server management.

A copy of your live website for testing changes before deployment. Critical for avoiding breaking changes on production sites.

The ability to easily increase server resources (CPU, RAM, storage) as website traffic and requirements grow, without downtime.

Time To First Byte — measures how quickly a server responds to a request. Good TTFB is under 200ms. A key indicator of server speed.

Transport Layer Security — the modern successor to SSL. TLS 1.3 is the current standard, providing faster and more secure encrypted connections.

The percentage of time a server is operational and accessible. Industry standard is 99.9% (8.7 hours downtime/year). Premium hosts achieve 99.99%.

Virtual Private Server — a virtualized server with dedicated resources partitioned from a physical server. Offers more control than shared hosting.

A service that stores website files on a server and makes them accessible on the internet via a domain name.

Hosting environment specifically optimized for WordPress with pre-installed WP, automatic updates, caching, and WP-specific security.

Web Application Firewall — filters and monitors HTTP traffic to protect against common attacks like SQL injection, XSS, and DDoS.

A service that hides domain owner personal information (name, address, phone) from public WHOIS database lookups.

WordPress Command Line Interface — manage WordPress from the terminal: install plugins, update themes, manage users, and more via commands.

Hosting services that can be rebranded with your own company name and logo. Common in reseller hosting for web agencies.