Knowledge Base – Web Hosting, Domain and Servers
Welcome to this specialised knowledge base, a resource meticulously crafted to help you navigate the complex landscape of web hosting, cloud services, and IT infrastructure.
Using a comprehensive list of acronyms from A to Z, this guide aims to demystify industry-specific terminology and provide you with a quick, go-to reference. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a newcomer, this knowledge base will serve as a valuable asset in understanding the world of web hosting.
A – A to Z Web Hosting Knowledge Base
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| AWS | Amazon Web Services; a subsidiary of Amazon providing on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs |
| API | Application Programming Interface; a set of rules for building and interacting with software applications |
| AJAX | Asynchronous JavaScript and XML; a set of web development techniques using web technologies on the client side to create asynchronous web applications |
| ASP | Active Server Pages; a server-side script engine for dynamically generated web pages |
| ARM | Advanced RISC Machine; a family of reduced instruction set computing architectures for computer processors |
| Apache | A widely used web server software |
| ASCII | American Standard Code for Information Interchange; a character encoding standard |
| A/B Testing | A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or app against each other to determine which one performs better |
| AIX | Advanced Interactive eXecutive; a series of proprietary Unix operating systems developed and sold by IBM |
| Ansible | An open-source automation tool for software provisioning, configuration management, and application deployment |
| ACL | Access Control List; a list of permissions attached to an object |
| ARP | Address Resolution Protocol; a protocol for mapping an Internet Protocol address to a physical machine address |
| Authentication | The process of verifying the identity of a person or device |
| Auto-scaling | A cloud computing feature that automatically adds or removes compute resources depending upon actual usage |
| Active Directory | A directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows domain networks |
| Azure | Microsoft’s cloud computing service |
| Algorithm | A set of rules to be followed in problem-solving operations |
| Applet | A small application designed to run within another application |
| Asymmetric Encryption | A type of encryption where the key used to encrypt and decrypt is not the same |
| AI | Artificial Intelligence; the simulation of human intelligence in machines |
| ADSL | Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line; a type of DSL broadband communications technology |
B
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Bandwidth | The volume of data per second that can be handled by a communication medium |
| Backbone | A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network |
| Backup | A copy of data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event |
| BIOS | Basic Input/Output System; firmware used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process |
| Bit | A basic unit of information in computing |
| Byte | A group of binary digits or bits operated on as a unit |
| Bot | Software that runs automated tasks over the Internet |
| Bootstrap | A small program that has been loaded into the computer to load the operating system |
| Bash | Bourne Again Shell; a Unix shell and command language |
| Bitrate | The number of bits processed per unit of time |
| Blob | Binary Large Object; a collection of binary data stored as a single entity |
| BGP | Border Gateway Protocol; a standardized exterior gateway protocol designed to exchange routing and reachability information |
| BSD | Berkeley Software Distribution; a Unix operating system derivative |
| Buffer | A temporary storage area, typically in RAM, used to hold data that is being transferred from one place to another |
| Bug | An error, flaw, or fault in a computer program |
| Build | The process by which source code is converted into a stand-alone form that can be run on a computer |
| Boolean | A binary variable having two possible values, “true” or “false” |
| Bus | A communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers |
| BYOD | Bring Your Own Device; a policy allowing employees to bring personally owned devices to their workplace |
| Botnet | A network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group |
| Blockchain | A system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system |
C
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| CDN | Content Delivery Network; a system of distributed servers that deliver content to users based on their geographic location |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit; the primary component of a computer that performs most of the processing inside a computer |
| CSS | Cascading Style Sheets; a stylesheet language used for describing the look and formatting of a document written in HTML |
| CMS | Content Management System; a software application or set of related programs used to create and manage digital content |
| Cloud | A system of servers that store data and applications on the Internet, rather than on a local computer or server |
| CRON | A time-based job scheduler in Unix-like operating systems |
| CAPTCHA | Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart; a challenge-response test used in computing |
| Cluster | A set of connected computers that work together so that in many respects they can be viewed as a single system |
| cPanel | A Linux-based web hosting control panel that provides a graphical interface and automation tools |
| Cybersecurity | The practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks |
| Cache | A hardware or software component that stores data so future requests for that data can be served faster |
| Cookies | Small files which are stored on a user’s computer to hold data specific to a particular client and website |
| Cryptography | The practice and study of secure communication techniques |
| CaaS | Containers as a Service; a container management service that allows users to upload, organize, start, stop, scale, and otherwise manage containers, applications, and clusters |
| CNAME | Canonical Name; a type of DNS record that maps an alias name to a true or canonical domain name |
| CGI | Common Gateway Interface; a standard for transmitting requests between a client and web server |
| Colocation | A data center facility in which a business can rent space for servers and other computing hardware |
| Compression | The process of reducing the size of data for storage or transmission |
| CORS | Cross-Origin Resource Sharing; a mechanism that allows different origins to share resources |
| CIFS | Common Internet File System; a protocol that provides shared access to files and printers |
| CTO | Chief Technology Officer; the individual within an organization who oversees the technological direction |
| Containerization | A lightweight form of virtualization that helps to eliminate the inconsistency of ‘it runs on my machine’ problems when collaborating on code with co-workers |
D
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| DNS | Domain Name System; a hierarchical and decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources connected to the Internet |
| DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol; a network management protocol used on IP networks for automatically assigning IP addresses |
| DDoS | Distributed Denial of Service; an attack where multiple systems are used to flood a targeted system, causing it to become inoperative |
| DevOps | A set of practices that combines software development and IT operations with the aim to shorten the system development life cycle |
| Data Center | A large group of networked computer servers used for storing, processing, or distributing large amounts of data |
| Database | A structured set of data held in a computer, especially one that is accessible in various ways |
| Django | A high-level Python Web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design |
| Disk Space | The amount of data that can be stored on a storage device |
| DRAM | Dynamic Random-Access Memory; a type of RAM that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor |
| Digital Certificate | An electronic “passport” that allows a person, computer, or organization to exchange information securely over the Internet |
| Docker | A platform used to develop, ship, and run applications inside containers |
| Distributed System | A system whose components are located on different networked computers |
| DPI | Dots Per Inch; a measure of spatial printing or video dot density |
| Dual Stack | The ability to support IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously |
| Data Mining | The process of discovering patterns in large data sets |
| Data Warehousing | A central repository of data for reporting and data analysis |
| DSA | Digital Signature Algorithm; a Federal Information Processing Standard for digital signatures |
E
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| EIGRP | Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol; a Cisco proprietary protocol for routing decisions |
| EC2 | Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud; a web service from Amazon Web Services that allows users to rent virtual computers |
| Encryption | The process of converting information into code to prevent unauthorized access |
| Ethernet | A system for connecting computers within a local area network |
| Extranet | An intranet that is accessible to authorized outsiders |
| E-commerce | Electronic Commerce; the buying and selling of goods over the internet – E-Commerce Hosting |
| EULA | End User License Agreement; a legal contract between a software application author and the user |
| Electronic Mail; a method of exchanging messages between people using electronic devices | |
| Endpoint | A remote computing device that communicates back and forth with a network to which it is connected |
| ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning; business process management software that manages and integrates a company’s functions |
| Edge Computing | A distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location of the request |
| Elasticity | In cloud computing, the term refers to the ability to scale resources both up and down as needed |
| Entity | A piece of a data that can be contained in a data store |
| Event-Driven | In computing, a programming paradigm in which the flow of program execution is determined by events |
F
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol; a standard protocol used to transfer computer files from one host to another |
| Firewall | A network security system that monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic |
| Frontend | The part of a software application that the user interacts with directly |
| Failover | A backup operational mode in which the functions of a system are assumed by secondary system components when the primary system becomes unavailable |
| FQDN | Fully Qualified Domain Name; the complete domain name for a specific computer, or host, on the Internet |
| Framework | In computing, a collection of programs that do something useful and are meant to be used as building blocks in other programs |
| Full Stack | Refers to the development of both front-end and back-end portions of an application |
| FPGA | Field-Programmable Gate Array; an integrated circuit designed to be configured after manufacturing |
| Fiber Optic | A type of cabling technology that uses strands of glass fibers instead of traditional metal wires |
| Fault Tolerance | The ability of a system to continue operating properly in the event of the failure of one or more of its components |
G
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Gbps | Gigabits per Second; a unit of data transfer rate |
| GDPR | General Data Protection Regulation; EU legislation on data protection and privacy |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface; an interface that allows users to interact with software through graphical icons |
| Git | A version control system used for tracking changes in source code |
| GitHub | A web-based platform for version control and collaboration using Git |
| GPU | Graphics Processing Unit; a specialized electronic circuit designed for rapid image rendering |
| GCP | Google Cloud Platform; a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google |
| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications; a standard for mobile communication |
| Gateway | A device that connects two different networks and serves as a translator between the protocols |
| Gigabyte | A unit of digital information storage, equivalent to 109109 or 230230 bytes depending on the context |
| GitLab | A web-based Git repository manager offering CI/CD features |
| GlusterFS | A scalable network file system suitable for data-intensive tasks such as cloud storage and media streaming |
| Grid Computing | A form of distributed computing where a single task is divided into many smaller sub-tasks that are distributed across multiple computers |
| Group Policy | A feature of the Microsoft Windows NT operating system that allows control over the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts |
| GraphQL | A query language for APIs as well as a server-side runtime for executing those queries |
| Gzip | A file format and software application used for file compression and decompression |
H
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| HTTP | HyperText Transfer Protocol; the underlying protocol for the World Wide Web |
| HTTPS | HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure; HTTP with SSL/TLS encryption |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language; the standard markup language for web pages |
| HDD | Hard Disk Drive; a data storage device |
| HCI | Hyper-Converged Infrastructure; combines storage, computing, and networking into a single system |
| HMAC | Hash-based Message Authentication Code; a specific construction for creating a MAC (Message Authentication Code) |
| HP | Hewlett-Packard; a multinational information technology company |
| HPC | High-Performance Computing; the use of supercomputers and parallel processing techniques for solving complex problems |
| HSM | Hardware Security Module; a physical device that safeguards and manages digital keys for strong authentication |
| HTML5 | The fifth version of HTML, includes multimedia elements |
| HTTP/2 | The second major version of the HTTP network protocol |
| HTTP/3 | The third major version of the HTTP network protocol |
| Hybrid Cloud | A cloud computing environment that uses a mix of on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud services |
| Hypervisor | Software that creates and manages virtual machines |
| HA (High Availability) | A characteristic of a system aiming to ensure an agreed level of operational performance for a higher than normal period |
| Hotfix | A single, cumulative package that includes information often in the form of one or more files that is used to address a problem in a software product |
| Hosting | Providing server space, web services, and file maintenance for websites controlled by individuals or companies that do not have their own web servers |
| Hostname | A label that is assigned to a device connected to a computer network and is used to identify the device |
I
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| IaaS | Infrastructure as a Service; a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources |
| ICMP | Internet Control Message Protocol; used by network devices to send error messages and operational information |
| IDE | Integrated Development Environment; a software application that combines code editing, building, debugging, and execution |
| IDS | Intrusion Detection System; a device or software application that monitors a network for malicious activities |
| IEEE | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; a professional organization for the advancement of technology |
| IETF | Internet Engineering Task Force; an organization that develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards |
| IIS | Internet Information Services; a web server software created by Microsoft |
| IMAP | Internet Message Access Protocol; used by email clients to retrieve messages from a mail server |
| IP | Internet Protocol; the principal communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite |
| IPS | Intrusion Prevention System; a system for identifying and preventing known and unknown threats |
| IPv4 | Internet Protocol version 4; the fourth version of the Internet Protocol |
| IPv6 | Internet Protocol version 6; the most recent version of the Internet Protocol |
| ISDN | Integrated Services Digital Network; a set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization; an independent, non-governmental international organization that develops standards |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider; a company that provides access to the Internet |
| ITIL | Information Technology Infrastructure Library; a set of practices for IT service management |
| ITSM | IT Service Management; a general term that describes a strategic approach for designing, delivering, and improving the way IT is used |
| iSCSI | Internet Small Computer Systems Interface; an Internet Protocol-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities |
| IAM | Identity and Access Management; a framework for business processes that facilitates the management of electronic or digital identities |
J
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| JDK | Java Development Kit; a software development kit for Java programming |
| JRE | Java Runtime Environment; provides the libraries and the Java Virtual Machine for running Java applications |
| JSON | JavaScript Object Notation; a lightweight data-interchange format |
| JSP | JavaServer Pages; a technology for developing web pages that support dynamic content |
| JVM | Java Virtual Machine; an abstraction layer that enables Java applications to run on any device or OS |
| J2EE / JEE | Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition / Java Platform, Enterprise Edition; a set of specifications that extend the Java SE with specifications for enterprise features |
| JDBC | Java Database Connectivity; an API for Java that defines how to access database operations |
| JIRA | A popular issue tracking and project management software by Atlassian |
| JMS | Java Message Service; an API for sending messages between two or more clients |
| JNDI | Java Naming and Directory Interface; a Java-based API that allows clients to discover and look up data and objects via a name |
| JOOQ | Java Object-Oriented Querying; a light database-mapping software library in Java |
| JPA | Java Persistence API; a Java specification for accessing, persisting, and managing data between Java objects and relational databases |
| jQuery | A fast and feature-rich JavaScript library used to simplify tasks like HTML document traversal and manipulation |
| JSONP | JSON with Padding; a method to overcome the cross-domain limitations of the XMLHttpRequest object in web browsers |
| JTA | Java Transaction API; allows applications to perform distributed transactions |
| JWT | JSON Web Token; a compact, URL-safe means of representing claims between two parties |
K
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| K8s | Abbreviation for Kubernetes; a platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and operation of application containers |
| KVM | Kernel-Based Virtual Machine; a virtualization module in the Linux kernel that allows the hardware to function as multiple virtual machines |
| KB | Kilobyte; a unit of digital information storage, typically 210210 (1,024) bytes but sometimes 103103 (1,000) bytes |
| Kerberos | A network authentication protocol designed to provide strong authentication for users and servers |
| Key Pair | A set of cryptographic keys that are used for encrypting and decrypting data, commonly used in SSL/TLS protocols |
| Kibana | An open-source analytics and visualization platform used to search, view, and visualize data stored in Elasticsearch indices |
| Kilobit | A unit of digital information storage, equivalent to 103103 or 210210 bits depending on the context |
| Kernel | The core part of an operating system that manages system resources |
| Kubernetes Pod | The smallest and simplest unit in the Kubernetes object model, a pod encapsulates one or multiple containers |
| kubectl | A command-line tool for interacting with Kubernetes clusters |
| Keep-Alive | A message between two devices to check if the connection is still active |
| Key-Value Store | A type of non-relational database that uses a simple key-value pair mechanism to store data |
| Knox | A security layer that provides features to secure data and protect the device for mobile platforms, especially Samsung devices |
L
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| LAN | Local Area Network; a network that interconnects computers within a limited area |
| LDAP | Lightweight Directory Access Protocol; a protocol for accessing and maintaining directory information services over an IP network |
| LAMP | Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl; a popular stack of open-source software used for web servers |
| LBA | Logical Block Addressing; a method used in computer storage devices for specifying the location of data blocks |
| LXC | Linux Containers; an operating-system-level virtualization method for running multiple isolated Linux systems on a host |
| LVM | Logical Volume Manager; a device mapper framework provided by the Linux kernel to manage disk drives and similar mass-storage devices |
| Load Balancer | A device or software that distributes network or application traffic across multiple servers |
| Log File | A file that records either events that occur in an operating system or other software, usually for the purpose of debugging |
| Loopback | An IP address (usually 127.0.0.1) used to test network software without physically installing a Network Interface Card (NIC) |
| Latency | The delay between the sender and the receiver decoding it, often referred to in networking and data transfer scenarios |
| Linux | An open-source Unix-like operating system based on the Linux kernel |
| LSB | Linux Standard Base; a joint project by several Linux distributions to standardize the software system structure |
| Lua | A lightweight, high-level, multi-paradigm programming language designed primarily for embedded systems and clients |
| Lynx | A text-based web browser used in terminal environments, often on Unix-like systems |
M
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| MAC | Media Access Control; a hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of a network |
| Mbps | Megabits per Second; a unit of data transfer rate |
| MB | Megabyte; a unit of digital information storage, commonly 220220 (1,048,576) bytes but sometimes 106106 (1,000,000) bytes |
| MDM | Mobile Device Management; software that allows IT administrators to control, secure, and enforce policies on smartphones, tablets, and other endpoints |
| MEAN Stack | MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, and Node.js; a full-stack JavaScript solution that helps you build fast, robust, and maintainable web applications |
| MFA | Multi-Factor Authentication; an authentication method that requires multiple pieces of evidence to verify identity |
| MIMO | Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output; a method for multiplying the capacity of a radio link using multiple transmit and receive antennas |
| MIME | Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions; an Internet standard that extends the format of email to support text in character sets other than ASCII |
| MQTT | Message Queuing Telemetry Transport; a lightweight messaging protocol for small sensors and mobile devices |
| MPLS | Multiprotocol Label Switching; a protocol for speeding up and shaping network traffic flows |
| MS | Microsoft; an American multinational technology corporation |
| MS SQL | Microsoft SQL Server; a relational database management system developed by Microsoft |
| MVC | Model-View-Controller; a design pattern commonly used for developing user interfaces |
| MVVM | Model-View-ViewModel; a software architectural pattern mainly used in WPF, Xamarin.Forms, and Angular |
| MX Record | Mail Exchange Record; a type of resource record in the DNS that specifies a mail server responsible for receiving email messages on behalf of a domain |
N
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| NAT | Network Address Translation; modifies IP address information in packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device |
| NDA | Non-Disclosure Agreement; a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share |
| NFS | Network File System; a protocol for sharing files over a network |
| NIC | Network Interface Card; a hardware component that connects a computer to a network |
| NLP | Natural Language Processing; a field of computer science that focuses on the interaction between computers and humans through natural language |
| NMS | Network Management System; a set of hardware and/or software tools that allow an IT professional to manage network components |
| NOC | Network Operations Center; a centralized location for monitoring and managing a network or networks |
| NoSQL | Not Only SQL; databases designed for storing, retrieving, and managing document-oriented information |
| NTP | Network Time Protocol; used to synchronize the clocks of computers over a network |
| NTFS | New Technology File System; a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft |
| NVMe | Non-Volatile Memory Express; a protocol for accessing high-speed storage media |
| NS Record | Name Server Record; DNS record that specifies the DNS server for the domain |
| nginx | Web server that can also be used as a reverse proxy, load balancer, mail proxy and HTTP cache |
| Node.js | JavaScript runtime environment that executes JavaScript code server-side |
| NUMA | Non-Uniform Memory Access; a computer memory design used in multiprocessing, where the memory access time depends on the memory location relative to the processor |
O
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| OAuth | An open standard for access delegation, commonly used for token-based authentication |
| OSI | Open Systems Interconnection; a conceptual framework that standardizes the functions of a telecommunication or computing system into seven abstraction layers |
| OS | Operating System; software that controls the computer hardware and provides services for computer programs |
| Object Storage | A type of storage architecture that manages data as objects, as opposed to other storage architectures like file systems and block storage |
| ODBC | Open Database Connectivity; a standard application programming interface (API) for accessing database management systems |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer; a company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer |
| Offsite Backup | A backup process that stores data in a different location than the primary site, often used for disaster recovery |
| Open Source | Software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified |
| OpenStack | An open-source software platform for cloud computing, mostly deployed as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) |
| Opcode | Operation code; a portion of a machine language instruction that specifies the operation to be performed |
| ORM | Object-Relational Mapping; a programming technique used to interact with relational databases using object-oriented paradigms |
| OTP | One-Time Password; a password that is valid for only one login session or transaction |
| Outbound Traffic | Data packets that are sent from a device or network to external networks or devices |
| Overlay Network | A computer network that is built on top of another network |
P
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| PaaS | Platform as a Service; a cloud computing model that delivers applications over the internet |
| PCI | Peripheral Component Interconnect; a hardware bus used for adding internal components to a desktop computer |
| PCI DSS | Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard; a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment |
| PHP | Hypertext Preprocessor; a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development |
| POP3 | Post Office Protocol 3; a protocol used by local email clients to retrieve email from a remote server |
| PaaS | Platform as a Service; a cloud computing service model that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications |
| PDU | Protocol Data Unit; the smallest unit of communication in a network protocol |
| PoE | Power over Ethernet; a technology that allows network cables to carry electrical power |
| Port | A number that identifies a specific process to which an Internet or other network message is to be forwarded when it arrives at a server |
| PostgreSQL | A powerful, open-source object-relational database system |
| Proxy Server | A server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers |
| Puppet | An open-source software configuration management tool |
| Python | A high-level, interpreted, interactive and object-oriented scripting language |
| P2P | Peer-to-Peer; a decentralized form of network architecture in which individual computers use the same protocols to connect to each other |
| PXE | Preboot Execution Environment; an environment to boot computers using a network interface independently of available data storage devices or installed operating systems |
Q
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| QoS | Quality of Service; a measure of performance for a transmission system that reflects its transmission quality and service availability |
| QR Code | Quick Response Code; a two-dimensional matrix barcode that can store a variety of data types |
| Qt | A free and open-source widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces as well as cross-platform applications that run on various software and hardware platforms |
| Quorum | The number of nodes in a cluster that must be operational for the cluster to function correctly |
| Query | A request for data or information from a database, or the act of making such a request |
| Query String | A part of a URL containing data that does not fit conveniently into a hierarchical path structure |
| Queue | In computer science, a data structure that follows the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) methodology |
| QuickSort | A highly efficient sorting algorithm and is based on partitioning of an array of data into smaller arrays |
| Qubit | Quantum Bit; the fundamental unit of quantum information |
| Quota | A set limit or restriction on the amount of resources that can be used, often implemented in disk usage, bandwidth, and API requests |
| Quantization | The process of mapping input values from a large set to output values in a smaller set, particularly in digital signal processing |
R
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| RAID | Redundant Array of Independent Disks; a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical disk drive components into one or more logical units |
| RAM | Random Access Memory; a type of computer memory that can be read and changed in any order, typically used to store working data and machine code |
| RDBMS | Relational Database Management System; a database management system based on the relational model of data |
| REST | Representational State Transfer; an architectural style that defines a set of constraints for creating web services |
| RFC | Request for Comments; a publication from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Society, the principal technical development and standards-setting bodies for the Internet |
| RHEL | Red Hat Enterprise Linux; an enterprise-level edition of a released version of CentOS, a Linux distribution |
| RJ-45 | Registered Jack-45; a standard type of physical connector for network cables in Ethernet networks |
| ROM | Read-Only Memory; a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices |
| RPC | Remote Procedure Call; a protocol that one program can use to request a service from a program located on another computer in a network |
| RSA | Rivest–Shamir–Adleman; one of the first public-key cryptosystems widely used for secure data transmission |
| RTOS | Real-Time Operating System; an operating system specifically designed to meet the requirements of real-time systems |
| Ruby on Rails | A server-side web application framework written in Ruby |
| RUM | Real User Monitoring; a form of web monitoring that captures and analyzes each transaction by users of a website or application |
| Rust | A multi-paradigm programming language designed for performance and safety |
S
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| SaaS | Software as a Service; a licensing and delivery model in which software is provided over the Internet |
| SAN | Storage Area Network; a specialized, high-speed network that provides block-level network access to storage |
| SATA | Serial ATA; a computer bus interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives |
| SDK | Software Development Kit; a collection of software tools that allow the creation of applications for certain software packages, hardware platforms, operating systems, etc. |
| SEO | Search Engine Optimization; the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to a website through organic search engine results |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement; a commitment between a service provider and a client |
| SMTP | Simple Mail Transfer Protocol; a protocol for sending email messages between servers |
| SNMP | Simple Network Management Protocol; a protocol used for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on IP networks |
| SOAP | Simple Object Access Protocol; a messaging protocol for exchanging structured information in the implementation of web services |
| SQL | Structured Query Language; a domain-specific language used for managing and manipulating relational databases |
| SSH | Secure Shell; a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network |
| SSL | Secure Sockets Layer; a standard technology for securing an internet connection and safeguarding data that is being sent between two systems |
| SSD | Solid-State Drive; a type of disk storage that uses NAND-based flash memory to store data |
| SVN | Apache Subversion; a software versioning and revision control system |
| Swagger | An Interface Description Language for describing RESTful APIs expressed using JSON |
| SysOps | Systems Operations; a role within an organization focused on system and server deployment, support, and maintenance |
| Scalability | The capability of a system to grow and manage increased demand |
| Serverless | A cloud computing execution model where cloud providers run the server, and dynamically manage the allocation of machine resources |
T
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| TCP | Transmission Control Protocol; one of the main protocols of the Internet protocol suite |
| TLS | Transport Layer Security; a cryptographic protocol designed to provide secure communications over a computer network |
| TLD | Top-Level Domain; the last part of a domain name, like .com, .org, .net, etc. |
| TOR | The Onion Router; a free network that enables anonymous communication |
| TOS | Terms of Service; legal agreements between a service provider and a person who wants to use that service |
| TTL | Time To Live; a value in a routing protocol that signifies how long that protocol is valid for |
| TPU | Tensor Processing Unit; a type of application-specific integrated circuit developed by Google specifically for machine learning |
| TSDB | Time Series Database; a software system that is optimized for handling time-series data, arrays of numbers indexed by time |
| Two-Factor Authentication | A security process in which the user provides two different authentication factors to verify themselves |
| Telnet | Telecommunication Network; a network protocol used to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communication facility using a virtual terminal connection |
| Terraform | An open-source infrastructure as code software tool that provides a consistent CLI workflow to manage hundreds of cloud services |
| Throttling | The intentional slowing down or speeding up of an internet service by an Internet service provider (ISP) |
| Tokenization | The act of breaking up a sequence of strings into pieces, known as tokens, based on certain defined rules or boundaries |
U
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| UDP | User Datagram Protocol; one of the main members of the Internet protocol suite used for transmitting short messages called datagrams |
| UI | User Interface; the space where interactions between humans and machines occur |
| UUID | Universally Unique Identifier; a 128-bit number used to uniquely identify some object or entity on the Internet |
| UX | User Experience; the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or application |
| UML | Unified Modeling Language; a general-purpose developmental modeling language |
| UNIX | A family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix |
| URI | Uniform Resource Identifier; a string of characters that unambiguously identifies a particular resource |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator; a reference or address that specifies the location of a resource on the Internet |
| Uptime | The time during which a machine, especially a computer, is in operation |
| Ubuntu | An open-source operating system based on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution |
| UTM | Unified Threat Management; an approach to security management that allows an administrator to monitor and manage a wide variety of security-related applications and infrastructure devices |
| U2F | Universal 2nd Factor; an open standard for public key-based authentication |
| UAC | User Account Control; a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 |
| UCaaS | Unified Communications as a Service; a delivery model in which a variety of communication and collaboration applications and services are outsourced to a third-party provider and delivered over an IP network |
V
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| VPS | Virtual Private Server; a virtual machine provided by an Internet hosting service |
| VPN | Virtual Private Network; a technology that allows you to create a secure connection over a less-secure network between your computer and the Internet |
| VLAN | Virtual Local Area Network; a network protocol used to create logically segmented networks within a physical network |
| VM | Virtual Machine; an emulation of a computer system that can execute programs like a physical machine |
| VPC | Virtual Private Cloud; an on-demand configurable pool of shared computing resources allocated within a public cloud environment |
| VDI | Virtual Desktop Infrastructure; the practice of hosting a desktop operating system within a virtual machine running on a centralized server |
| VoIP | Voice over Internet Protocol; a methodology and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over the Internet |
| Varnish | A web application accelerator also known as a caching HTTP reverse proxy |
| VXLAN | Virtual Extensible LAN; a network virtualization technology that attempts to address the scalability problems associated with large cloud computing deployments |
| Version Control | A system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that you can recall specific versions later |
| Virtualization | The act of creating a virtual version of something, including but not limited to a virtual hardware platform, operating system, storage device, or network resources |
| vCPU | Virtual CPU; a unit of processing power that is made available to a virtual machine in a multi-tenant cloud environment |
W – Best Web Hosting
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| WAN | Wide Area Network |
| WAF | Web Application Firewall |
| WPA | Wi-Fi Protected Access |
| WebSocket | Protocol for full-duplex communication |
| WHOIS | Query protocol for domain owner info |
| WWW | World Wide Web |
| W3C | World Wide Web Consortium |
| WSDL | Web Services Description Language |
| WebDAV | Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning |
| WebRTC | Web Real-Time Communication |
| WebP | Modern image format for web |
| Wi-Fi | Wireless Fidelity |
| WINS | Windows Internet Name Service |
| WORM | Write Once, Read Many |
| WSUS | Windows Server Update Services |
| WEP | Wired Equivalent Privacy |
| WPAN | Wireless Personal Area Network |
| WP | WordPress |
| WTF | Web Template Framework |
| WCAG | Web Content Accessibility Guidelines |
| WAMP | Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Perl/Python |
| Webmaster | Person responsible for website maintenance |
| Whitelist | Approved list of entities |
| Wrapper | Software serving as an interface between different software applications |
X
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| XML | eXtensible Markup Language |
| XHTML | eXtensible HyperText Markup Language |
| XaaS | Anything as a Service |
| XOR | Exclusive OR |
| X.509 | Public-key certificate standard |
| XHR | XMLHttpRequest |
| XAMPP | Cross-platform Apache, MySQL, PHP, Perl |
| XSLT | Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations |
| XFS | Extensible File System |
| XMPP | Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol |
| XEN | Hypervisor providing services |
| XDR | External Data Representation |
| XUL | XML User Interface Language |
| XSP | Extensible Server Pages |
| XACT | Extended Architecture |
| Xmodem | File transfer protocol |
| XMS | Extended Memory Specification |
| XSS | Cross-site Scripting |
| Xterm | Terminal emulator for X Window System |
| X Window System | Framework for building GUIs on Unix systems |
Y
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| YAML | YAML Ain’t Markup Language |
| YARN | Yet Another Resource Negotiator |
| YUM | Yellowdog Updater, Modified |
| YUI | Yahoo! User Interface |
| YSlow | Yahoo’s tool for website speed optimization |
| YACC | Yet Another Compiler Compiler |
| YP | Yellow Pages (Not to be confused with the business directory) |
| YT | YouTube |
| Y2K | Year 2000 problem |
| YARA | Yet Another Recursive Acronym; used for malware identification and classification |
Z
| Acronym / Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| ZFS | Zettabyte File System |
| Zero-Day | Software vulnerability unknown to those who should be mitigating it |
| Zookeeper | Distributed coordination service |
| Zabbix | Open-source monitoring software |
| zlib | Data compression library |
| Z-Wave | Wireless communications protocol |
| ZPL | Zebra Programming Language |
| ZIF | Zero Insertion Force |
| ZOS | z/Operating System from IBM |
| Z-RAM | Zero-capacitor RAM |
| ZIP | Compression file format |
| ZMA | Zone Multicast Addressing |
| ZSL | Zero Standing Loss |
| ZTI | Zero Touch Installation |
| ZTP | Zero Touch Provisioning |