Web Hosting Terms
Web Hosting Terms
Anonymous FTP: Anonymous File Transfer Protocol. Allows the public to log into an FTP
server with a common login, avoiding the need to assign passwords to anyone who wants to
download files from your Web site. This is unnecessary unless you plan on providing
downloadable files to the public.
ASP: Active Server Pages. A commonly used Microsoft scripting language that enables the
use of online databases.
Auto responder: An email address that is set up to automatically reply to the sender with a
previously prepared response.
Bandwidth (Data Transfer): The amount of data that you are allowed to transfer (usually
monthly). Data = images, text, audio files, video files and everything else that a server
transfers to a user’s web browser. Approximately 40,000 page views = 1 GB of data transfer.
Web sites that get a lot of visitors (and page views) need larger amounts of data transfer (or
bandwidth).
CGI: Common Gateway Interface. A program that translates data from a web server and then
displays that data on a web page or in an email. CGI scripting can add numerous interactive
elements to a Web site.
CGI-BIN: A directory on a server where CGI programs are stored. CGI scripting can add
numerous interactive elements to a Web site.
CGI Library: Certain hosts will provide a collection of pre-made CGI scripts (as a
convenience) that can be used to add numerous interactive elements to your Web site.
Control Panel: An online interface often used to facilitate Web site management and editing.
Control panels often allow hosting customers to perform basic functions (make changes,
check data, etc.) without contacting customer service.
Database: A collection organized records of information that can facilitate searching, sorting,
and recombination of data.
Data Transfer (Bandwidth): The amount of data that you are allowed to transfer (usually
monthly). Data = images, text, audio files, video files and everything else that a server
transfers to a user’s web browser. Approximately 40,000 page views = 1 GB of data transfer.
Web sites that get a lot of visitors (and page views) need larger amounts of data transfer (or
bandwidth). Also, graphics-heavy sites will need more data transfer than more basic sites.
Dedicated Servers (Dedicated Hosting): The opposite of Shared Web hosting. Servers that
are owned by a Web hosting company but rented out and used by a single customer. Web sites
in need of a lot of disk space and/or data transfer and/or Web sites that have very specific
software needs may opt to rent a dedicated server. Shared Web hosting is usually sufficient
for most small and medium sized businesses.