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Hosting Glossary

A quick reference guide to common web hosting, domain, and website terminology. If you come across an unfamiliar term in our knowledge base, look it up here.

A

A Record A DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. It's the most basic DNS record that tells the internet where your website is hosted.

AAAA Record A DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv6 address (the newer version of internet addresses).

Add-on Domain An additional domain hosted on the same hosting account. Each add-on domain functions as its own independent website.

Apache A widely used open-source web server software. Many Salama Hosting servers use Apache or LiteSpeed (which is Apache-compatible).

API (Application Programming Interface) A set of protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other.

AutoSSL A cPanel feature that automatically installs and renews free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for your domains.

B

Bandwidth The amount of data that can be transferred between your website and its visitors over a given period. Measured in GB per month.

Backup A copy of your website files, databases, and email stored separately for recovery purposes.

Bounce Rate The percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page.

Brute Force Attack A hacking method that tries many password combinations to gain unauthorized access to an account.

C

Cache / Caching Storing copies of frequently accessed data for faster retrieval. Browser caching stores files on the visitor's device; server caching stores pre-built pages on the server.

CDN (Content Delivery Network) A network of servers distributed globally that delivers your website's static content from the server nearest to each visitor, improving speed.

CMS (Content Management System) Software that allows you to create, manage, and publish website content without coding. Examples: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal.

CNAME Record A DNS record that creates an alias — pointing one domain name to another domain name.

Control Panel A web-based interface for managing your hosting account. Salama Hosting offers cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin.

cPanel The most popular web hosting control panel, providing a graphical interface to manage websites, email, databases, and more.

Cron Job A scheduled task that runs automatically at specified intervals on your server (e.g., sending daily reports, clearing cache).

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) A language used to control the visual appearance and layout of web pages.

D

Database An organized collection of data stored on a server. Websites use databases to store content, user information, and settings. Common types: MySQL, PostgreSQL.

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) A cyberattack that floods your server with fake traffic, making your website unavailable to legitimate visitors.

Dedicated Server An entire physical server reserved exclusively for one customer. Offers maximum performance, control, and security.

DirectAdmin A lightweight, efficient web hosting control panel. An alternative to cPanel and Plesk.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) An email authentication method that adds a digital signature to verify the sender's identity.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) An email policy that tells receiving servers how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication.

DNS (Domain Name System) The internet's addressing system that translates domain names (yourdomain.com) into IP addresses that servers understand.

Domain Name Your website's unique address on the internet (e.g., yourbusiness.com). Registered through a domain registrar.

Domain Registrar An organization accredited to register and manage domain names (e.g., Salama Hosting).

E

Email Client Software used to access and manage email accounts (e.g., Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Gmail app).

EPP Code (Authorization Code) A unique code required to transfer a domain from one registrar to another. Also called a transfer key.

Error 404 An HTTP status code indicating the requested page was not found on the server.

Error 500 An internal server error indicating something went wrong on the server side.

F

Firewall A security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on security rules.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) A method for transferring files between your computer and your hosting server. SFTP (Secure FTP) is the encrypted version.

G

Gzip Compression A method of compressing website files before sending them to visitors' browsers, reducing file size and improving load speed.

H

Hosting / Web Hosting A service that stores your website files on a server and makes them accessible on the internet.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) The standard language used to structure and display content on web pages.

.htaccess An Apache web server configuration file that controls per-directory settings like URL redirects, password protection, and caching rules.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) The protocol used for communication between web browsers and web servers.

HTTPS The secure version of HTTP — data is encrypted using SSL/TLS certificates. Indicated by a padlock icon in the browser.

I

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) An email protocol that keeps messages on the server, allowing access from multiple devices. Preferred over POP3 for most users.

IP Address A unique numerical address assigned to every device on the internet (e.g., 192.168.1.100 for IPv4, or a longer hex string for IPv6).

L

Let's Encrypt A free, automated certificate authority that provides SSL certificates. Included with all Salama Hosting plans.

LiteSpeed A high-performance web server that is faster than Apache and fully compatible with Apache configurations (.htaccess).

M

Malware Malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.

Managed Hosting Hosting where the provider handles server management, security updates, monitoring, and backups on your behalf.

MX Record (Mail Exchange) A DNS record that specifies which mail server handles email for your domain.

MySQL The world's most popular open-source relational database management system. Used by WordPress, Joomla, and most PHP applications.

N

Nameservers DNS servers that store the DNS records for your domain and answer queries about where to find your website and email. Salama Hosting nameservers: ns1.salamahosting.com, ns2.salamahosting.com.

Nginx A high-performance web server and reverse proxy. Sometimes used alongside Apache.

P

PHP A server-side programming language used by most websites and CMSs including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

phpMyAdmin A web-based tool for managing MySQL databases. Available in all Salama Hosting control panels.

Plesk A web hosting control panel that supports both Linux and Windows servers. Known for its modern interface and WordPress Toolkit.

POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) An email protocol that downloads messages from the server to your device and typically deletes them from the server.

PostgreSQL An advanced open-source relational database system known for reliability and feature robustness.

Propagation (DNS) The time it takes for DNS changes to spread across all DNS servers worldwide. Typically 1–48 hours.

R

Redirect Automatically sending visitors from one URL to another. Common types: 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary).

Registrar A company authorized to register domain names. Salama Hosting is a domain registrar.

Reseller Hosting A hosting service where you can create and manage hosting accounts for your own clients, effectively becoming a hosting provider.

Root Access Full administrative access to a server, allowing you to install software, modify system configurations, and control all server operations. Available on VPS and dedicated servers.

S

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) An encrypted version of FTP that protects data during file transfers between your computer and server.

Shared Hosting A hosting type where multiple websites share the same server and its resources. The most affordable hosting option.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The protocol used for sending email messages from one server to another.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) A DNS-based email authentication system that specifies which servers are authorized to send email for your domain.

SSD (Solid State Drive) A fast storage device with no moving parts. SSDs are significantly faster than traditional hard drives (HDDs). All Salama Hosting plans use SSD storage.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) / TLS (Transport Layer Security) Encryption protocols that secure data transmitted between a website and its visitors. SSL certificates enable HTTPS.

Subdomain A subdivision of your main domain (e.g., blog.yourdomain.com, shop.yourdomain.com). Created from your control panel.

T

TLD (Top-Level Domain) The last part of a domain name (e.g., .com, .org, .ug, .net). Also called a domain extension.

TXT Record A DNS record that stores text information, commonly used for email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and domain verification.

TTL (Time to Live) A DNS setting that specifies how long (in seconds) a DNS record is cached before being refreshed. Lower TTL = faster propagation of changes.

U

Uptime The percentage of time your website is accessible and operational. Salama Hosting guarantees 99.9% uptime.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) The complete web address used to access a specific page (e.g., https://www.yourdomain.com/about).

V

VPS (Virtual Private Server) A hosting type that provides a dedicated portion of a physical server with guaranteed resources. More powerful than shared hosting with full root access.

W

Webmail A browser-based interface for accessing email without installing an email client. Access at yourdomain.com/webmail.

WHOIS A public database that contains registration information for domain names, including the registrant's name and contact details.

WHOIS Privacy A service that replaces your personal information in the WHOIS database with proxy details, protecting your privacy.

WordPress The world's most popular CMS, powering over 43% of all websites. Open-source and free to use.

wp-config.php The main WordPress configuration file that contains database connection settings, security keys, and other essential WordPress settings.

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