Hosting and security – Glossary

Keep infrastructure secure and reliable. Use TLS, security headers, secrets management, WAF, rate limiting, backups, and planned maintenance windows.

12 terms in this category

DNS and domain management (2)

Manage records and renewals so domains resolve correctly and changes propagate cleanly.

DNS

Manage records like A, CNAME, MX, and TXT. Know your registrar versus nameserver. Allow time for propagation.

Domain

Own and renew your domain at the registrar, point DNS to hosting, keep records current. Related articles Domain renew...

Platform setup (2)

Provision servers, deploy code, and harden defaults for a secure, maintainable stack.

Laravel Forge

Automates server setup, deploys code, manages SSL, and hardens security with sensible defaults.

VPS

A virtual private server isolates your site on dedicated resources. It beats shared for control, and SaaS for flexibi...

Reliability and ops (2)

Back up, plan maintenance, and define recovery targets to keep uptime predictable.

Backups

Run frequent backups, store offsite, test restores, and define RTO and RPO so recovery meets expectations.

Maintenance windows

Schedule updates with a clear plan, communicate downtime, and keep rollbacks ready if issues arise.

Secrets and access (1)

Store credentials safely, rotate often, and apply least‑privilege access controls.

Secrets management

Store credentials in environment variables, rotate them regularly, and apply least privilege access.

Security controls (5)

Use TLS, headers, WAF, and rate limiting to reduce risk at the edge and in the app.

Rate limiting

Throttle abusive requests to protect login and search endpoints, keep resources available for real users.

Security headers

Use CSP, X‑Frame‑Options, and Referrer‑Policy to harden the browser layer against common risks.

TLS/SSL certificate

Enables the padlock and HTTPS. Renew on time, set HSTS, and redirect all traffic to HTTPS.

Two factor authentication

Protect accounts with an authenticator app and backup codes for recovery.

Web application firewall (WAF)

Filters malicious traffic before it reaches your app, blocking common attacks and abusive patterns.

About this glossary

I’m building this glossary to become a better developer and website strategist, in my ongoing quest to build clearer, better websites. It maps how terms relate, adds practical examples, and highlights best practices so I can communicate more clearly with clients. If it helps others too, great.

It’s a living resource, I aim to cite sources clearly. If you spot errors or omissions, please contact me so I can update it. Drafts may be assisted by AI, I review and fact check before publishing. For details on how I use AI, see AI Use at Webmarks.