If you’re new to the world of web hosting, you may find yourself swamped with endless lists of terminology that sound like Greek to your fresh ears. Website hosting, like any other tech industry, comes with its own unique retinue of words, many of which aren’t necessarily self-explanatory. However, that doesn’t mean most of them can’t be explained in a few short sentences.
To help ease you into the modern trends of web hosting, we’ve compiled a handy list of the most common terms in the business. We’ll do our best to explain them, but if you find yourself befuddled after we’ve done our best, don’t hesitate to hit up Google: There are plenty of more complex definitions out there, and we won’t blame you for skipping our more generalized information.
We’re ready if you are, Astronaut, so buckle up and get ready for blast-off! Here we go, Major Tom:
Domain Namee: A domain name is the exact URL title of the site you’re looking to host. For example, Google’s domain name is www.Google.com. There are two parts to the domain name, that being the name itself, as well as the .com address. This doesn’t have to be .com (There are lots of other options, including .us, .org, .edu, etc.) but you need both to have a domain name.
Nameserver: If a domain is your address on the Web, nameservers are the phonebooks. Once you’ve registered a domain name, it’s these server banks that log your registration and “agree” that you’ve locked down that space. This usually takes a while, but once it’s done, it’s like your domain has been etched into the pavement concrete of the World Wide Web.
Technical Support: This one is a bit more explicit, but it might still need some clarification. Tech support is the organization you call when something within your server has gone wrong. The body you dial will be different depending on which operating system you’re using, but you’ll still have to ring these gurus, no matter who or where they are. Server tech support is no different than tech support for your credit card or computer: It’s just tailored specifically to your hosting experience.Some host companies offer professional US based technical support services.
Data Center: This is where the physical servers are actually stored. This is the building where all of your files are stored on a block of memory in a case. In essence, it’s the warehouse where your server is treated like a piece of cargo locked into a crate.
