Web Hosting Glossary

You're re ready to get your web site up and running so you're searching for a host. There are a lot of hosts to choose from, but you don't understand all of the language they use when describing their features. How can you make the right choice? Read our web hosting glossary and find out what those features really define!

Addon Domains : Allows you to host more than one domain on the same account

Agora Shopping Cart : eCommerce shopping cart from Agora

Analog : Offers the website statistics program Analog

Anonymous FTP : Allows you and your users to transfer files anonymously via FTP

Apache Handlers : Provides the Server Apache and access to the various .htaccess file componants of the program

ASP : Supports ASP (active server pages) programmed pages

AWStats : Offers the website statistics program AWStats

Back-Ups : Host backs up your data regularly

Bandwidth : Also Called Data Transfer (Expressed in MB/GB/unmetered/unlimited) Bandwidth is a difficult to understand concept for a lot of people. Let's say you have a file that is 2 MB in size. Each time someone views the file, you are using 2 MB of bandwidth. If 100 people view the file, you've used 200 MB of bandwidth just on that one file. The measurement of bandwidth really measures the size of data transferred from your site to your visitors.

BoxTrapper : Allows you to require those who email you to confirm their email by replying to an autoresponder, otherwise their mail is discarded

cgi : Accounts will have a cgi-bin and support for cgi scripted files

ColdFusion : Supports sites created using Macromedia ColdFusion

cPanel : A popular and easy to use control panel that allows you to manage your files, email accounts, Apache, databases, and other features in a web based environment

CRON Jobs : Allows you to set a series of tasks for your server to automatically do for you on a regular basis

Custom Error Pages : Allows you to present whatever page you desire when a user reaches an error (ie. enters a page that doesn't exist)

Database Users : Defines how many people may have access to your databases

Dedicated IP Address : Your site has a permanant IP address (series of numbers) on which it resides, rather than a shared IP as .com's usually have

Default Email : Allows you to automatically bounce, ignore, or forward to another account any unrouted email for your domain

DirectAdmin : Offers the DirectAdmin web based control panel

Disk Space (Expressed in MB or GB) : This tells you how much space you have on the hosts' server for your files. The total space of your site (or sites) can't be larger than this amount.

eMail Accounts : This feature lets you know how many email addresses you'll be able to create for your domain

eMail Autoresponders (aka Autoresponders) : Allows you to send a prewritten response automatically when someone emails you

eMail Blocking : Block specific accounts from sending you email

eMail Forwarding : Allows you to forward mail for one of your email accounts to another account automatically

Ensim : Offers the Ensim web control panel

Fantastico : A cPanel add on that offers auto-installs of popular free features such as chat boards, shopping carts, classified ads, and more.

Flash : Supports sites created using Macromedia Flash

FrontPage Extensions : Supports the uploading and presentation of web sites created using the FrontPage software

FTP : You will be able to upload your files using file tranfer protocol (FTP) and also may tell you how many different FTP accounts you will be allowed to have

Helm : Offers the Helm web based control panel

Horde : Provides the webmail access Horde

IMAP Access : Mail is compatible with IMAP

JAVA : Supports Java scripting

Java Tomcat Servlet : Supports java applets

Mailing Lists : You will be able to run a mailing list or newsletter off of your server. May denote how many lists may be run as well

MX Entry Modification : Allows you to modify the MX information related to your email accounts

MySQL : Offers databases programmed using MySQL, a popular database environment

NeoMail : Provides the webmail access NeoMail

NET : Supports .NET programming

OS or Operating System : (Expressed as Windows, Linux, etc.) This tells you what operating system your host is using on their servers

Parked Domains : Allows you to point other domains at your web site

Password Protected Directories : Create files or folders that users must enter a name and password to view and manage your users

Perl : Supports the programming language Perl

PHP : Offers support for the programming language PHP

phpMyAdmin : Provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to manage MySQL databases

Plesk : Offers the Plesk web based control panel

POP3 Access : Features email compatible with the popular POP3 interface

Raw Logs : Allows you to download a log record of your account traffic to analyze in your own program

Redirects : Allows you to send traffic from www.yoursite.com/here.html dynamically to www.yoursite.com/there.html using an automatic forward

RV Skin : cPanel addon that offers multi-language capability and nice looking organization of features

Search Engine Submit : Submit your site to search engines th rough a program directly on your file manager

Shell Access : Allows you to access your files via a shell interface

SMTP : Mail is compatible with the Send Mail Transfer Protocol

SPAM Assasin : The SPAM assasin email program is available

Squirrel Mail : Provides the webmail access Squirrel Mail

SSI : Supports the use of server side includes

SSL : Security certificate so that your site encrypts sensitive data (like credit card info) before transmitting it over the internet

Streaming Audio and Video : Live audio and video files may be hosted and streamed over your site

Subdomains : You will be able to have subdomains (ie. subdomain.yoursite.com) for your site in the number specified

TelNet : Allows you to access your files and give commands directly to the server's command line

Uptime Guarantee : Affords you, depending upon the terms of the company, a percentage of your monthly fee refunded in the event that their servers (and your site) go down for more than the allotted time (ie. 99% uptime guarantee, if servers are down for more than 1% of the month, you'll be compensated)

Web Based File Manager : Manage and upload your files through a web based graphical user interface

Webalizer : Offers the website statistics program Webalizer