Glossary

The words hosting companies use, in one sentence or two each. Alphabetical.

Backup

A copy of your site and email kept somewhere else, so you can put things back after a mistake or a break-in. Only useful if it is recent and you know how to restore it. How to take one here.

cPanel

The control panel most shared hosts use. You manage files, mailboxes, databases and settings from it. Because it is a standard, a cPanel backup can be restored at almost any other cPanel host.

Database

Where software like WordPress keeps its content and settings. On our servers that is MySQL.

DKIM

A digital signature added to every email you send, which the receiving server checks against a key published for your domain. It proves the message was not forged or altered on the way.

DNS

The internet's address book. DNS records tell the world which server answers for your website and which one receives your email.

Domain name

Your address on the web, like yourbusiness.se. You rent it by the year from a registry, through a registrar.

IMAP

The way mail apps read your inbox while leaving the mail on the server, so your phone, laptop and webmail all show the same thing. Prefer it to the older POP.

Nameservers

The servers that hold your domain's DNS records. Changing them at your registrar is one way to point a domain at a new host.

PHP

The programming language WordPress and most website software is written in. The server runs it every time a page is requested.

Registrar

The company you rent a domain through. It passes your registration and renewals to the registry that runs the ending, such as .se or .com.

Reseller hosting

Hosting sold by a company that rents server capacity from a larger provider. Common, and fine, as long as you are told. We are one, and our about page says whose servers we use.

Shared hosting

Many websites on one server, each in its own isolated account. Cheaper than a server of your own, and the right size for most small business sites.

SMTP

The protocol mail apps use to send email. Your app needs the outgoing server name and port, which are on our help page.

SPF

A DNS record listing which servers may send email for your domain. Receiving servers use it, with DKIM, to decide whether a message is genuine or spam.

SSL / TLS certificate

What makes the padlock appear and the address start with https. It encrypts traffic between visitors and your site. Ours are free and renew themselves.

Transfer code

A password for moving a domain from one registrar to another, also called an auth or EPP code. Whoever holds your domain should hand it over when you ask.

Uptime

The share of time a site is reachable. A promise like 99.9% means little unless someone measures it and pays out when it is missed.

Webmail

Reading and sending email in a web browser, with no app to install. Ours is at login.mobuhost.com/mail.

Missing a word? Email info@mobuhost.com and we will add it. For the bigger picture, read hosting, explained plainly.