Knowledge base

The glossary

Every term we use with clients, defined plainly. Browse a subject area, jump to a letter, or search.

Browse by subject

Each area collects the concepts that belong together.

Web Hosting Plain definitions of the web hosting words you meet when you put a website online: uptime, service level agreements, storage, SSL and the parts of a hosting plan that decide how fast and reliable a site is. 2 Servers What servers and the databases on them do, in plain words: VPS and dedicated machines, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis and the terms you need when you run your own server. 4 Domains Domain names made simple: registration, DNS, nameservers, renewals, transfers and the words you need to choose, connect and protect your website's address. 0 E-commerce The language of selling online: SKUs, product variants, abandoned carts, order tracking, payments, point of sale and the numbers that show how a store is really doing. 30 Cloud Computing Cloud computing and the tools that ship software to it: what the cloud is, how Docker and Kubernetes run applications, and how Git and CI/CD keep releases safe. 5 Social Media Social media terms for businesses: WhatsApp marketing, influencer campaigns, video ads and the words behind growing an audience and talking to customers where they already are. 3 Websites The building blocks of a website in plain words: HTML, CSS, responsive design, right-to-left layouts and how a website differs from a web application. 6 Web Applications Terms you meet when a company builds or buys a web application: APIs, dashboards, user roles, single sign-on, deployment, scalability and the cost of owning software. 29 Mobile Apps Mobile app words explained: native and hybrid apps, push notifications, in-app purchases, app store review, offline sync and what keeps an app updated and secure. 25 Cybersecurity Security terms every business should know: phishing, ransomware, encryption, two-factor authentication, zero trust, backups and the habits that keep data and accounts safe. 35 Digital Marketing Digital marketing terms explained: conversion rate, landing pages, sales funnels, email campaigns, pay per click, attribution and the numbers that show what really works. 26 Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence in plain words: machine learning, large language models, chatbots and how businesses use AI to answer customers and automate everyday work. 4 Internet of Things Internet of Things terms made simple: connected devices, sensors, gateways and the words behind smart buildings, tracking and machines that report their own status. 0 Programming Languages Short, clear definitions of the programming languages behind today's software: Python, PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Go, Rust, Kotlin, Swift, SQL and more. 12 Frameworks The frameworks developers build on, defined plainly: Laravel, Django, React, Next.js, Node.js, Flutter and what each one brings to a web or mobile project. 6 Search Engines Search engine terms explained: SEO, indexing, sitemaps, canonical URLs, featured snippets, search intent and what helps a website appear in Google and AI answers. 30 User Interfaces User interface and experience terms: prototypes, user experience, dark mode and the design choices that make software and websites easy and pleasant to use. 3

Where people start.

Loyalty Program A loyalty program is a scheme that pays customers for coming back, usually in points they can spend on a later purchase. E-commerce Coupon Code A coupon code is a short word or number that a customer types at checkout so the shop takes an agreed amount off the order. E-commerce CSS CSS CSS is the language that decides how a web page looks, and because it sits in its own file, one change there restyles every page at once. Websites Chatbot A software assistant that talks with visitors by text or voice on a website or messaging app to answer questions, take orders, or book appointments at any hour. Basic versions follow fixed button menus, while AI versions understand everyday language. Artificial Intelligence PHP PHP is a programming language that builds a web page on the server before sending it to your screen, and much of the web still works that way. Programming Languages App Store Review App store review is the check that Apple and Google run on every app and every update before they let it into their store. Mobile Apps Two-Factor Authentication 2FA Two-factor authentication is a sign-in that asks for your password and then for something you are holding, so a stolen password alone is not enough to get in. Cybersecurity Rust Rust is a programming language that refuses to build your program at all if it contains the memory mistakes behind most serious security holes. Programming Languages JavaScript JavaScript is the language every web browser understands on its own, which is why anything that changes on a page without reloading it is written in it. Programming Languages Artificial Intelligence AI Artificial intelligence is software that works out useful answers from examples, instead of following rules that a person wrote out in advance. Artificial Intelligence MySQL MySQL is the most widely used free database in the world, and it is where a website keeps its customers, orders and prices in tidy tables. Servers TypeScript TypeScript is JavaScript with labels on the data, so a mistake is caught while the code is still being written instead of after it reaches customers. Programming Languages

All concepts, A to Z

U

URL Redirect A URL redirect is a note left at an old web address that quietly sends every visitor and every search engine to the page's new home. Read the definition User Acceptance Testing UAT User acceptance testing is the buyer's own check of a new system before signing it off, run on the real machines over a few ordinary working days. Read the definition User Access Review A user access review is a regular check of who can still log into your systems, including the accounts nobody remembers creating. Read the definition User Experience (UX) UX User experience measures how easy and pleasant it is for a person to navigate a website or application, complete tasks smoothly, and find what they need without confusion. Read the definition User Roles and Permissions User roles and permissions decide who may do what inside a system, so a receptionist can book an appointment without ever seeing what the treatment cost. Read the definition UTM Parameters UTM UTM parameters are short tags added to the end of a link so your reports can tell you which advert, email or post actually brought the sale. Read the definition

V

Vanity Metrics Vanity metrics are numbers like likes and followers that look good in a report but never turn into a booked job or a paid invoice. Read the definition Vendor Lock-In Vendor lock-in is what you discover on the day you try to change supplier and find out how little of your own system you actually own. Read the definition Virtual Private Network VPN A virtual private network is a sealed tunnel through a public connection, so what your staff send on café or hotel wifi cannot be read by anyone nearby. Read the definition Virtual Try-On Virtual try-on is a feature that lets a shopper point a phone camera at their face or room and see glasses or a sofa in place before paying. Read the definition Vulnerability Scan A vulnerability scan is an automatic check that searches a website or an app for weaknesses attackers already know about and reports what it finds. Read the definition

W

Web App vs Website The difference between a web app and a website is that a website tells people things, while a web app does real work for them once they sign in. Read the definition Web Application A web application is a program you use in a browser that does real work and remembers it, so it keeps your accounts, records and reports. Read the definition Web Application A program you open in a web browser on a computer or phone without installing software. You sign in to run your daily work from orders to reports, and all your records stay on a secure server accessible to your team. Read the definition Web Application Firewall WAF A web application firewall is a filter that reads every request arriving at your website and blocks the ones that look like a known attack. Read the definition Website Migration A website migration is any move that takes a site to a new address, platform or server without losing the visitors it already had. Read the definition WebView App A WebView app is a phone app whose screens are your live website shown inside a window, with the browser address bar taken away. Read the definition WhatsApp Marketing WhatsApp marketing is using WhatsApp to send customers real messages about their orders and bookings, under rules stricter than most owners expect. Read the definition Wishlist A wishlist is the list where a shopper saves items to come back to later, which tells a shop exactly what the people who did not buy still want. Read the definition Workflow Automation When a system or web app does repeated daily tasks on its own, like sending alerts and updating records, instead of a staff member doing them by hand every time. The result is fewer mistakes and more time for your team to focus on the work that matters most. Read the definition

X

XML Sitemap An XML sitemap is a list of your pages written for search engines, saying what exists on the site and when each page last changed. Read the definition

Y

Year-over-Year Growth YoY Year-over-year growth compares a month with the same month a year earlier, so the season itself cannot fool you into seeing a rise or a fall. Read the definition YouTube Ads YouTube ads are video and banner adverts bought inside Google Ads that run around other people's videos, usually with a Skip button after five seconds. Read the definition

Z

Zero Trust Zero trust is a way of working where nobody is trusted just for sitting inside the office, and every single login is checked again. Read the definition Zero-Click Search A zero-click search is one that ends on the results page itself, because the person found what they needed without ever opening a website. Read the definition Zero-Day Vulnerability A zero-day vulnerability is a hole in software that has just been found and has no fix yet, so everyone using that part is exposed until one arrives. Read the definition Zero-Downtime Deployment A zero-downtime deployment puts a new version of a system live while customers keep using it, with a quick way back if something goes wrong. Read the definition Zero-Party Data Zero-party data is what a customer types in on purpose, such as a shoe size or a delivery note, so the shop can serve them better. Read the definition

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