Glossary

Words you hear when talking about websites and servers — short and without jargon. Missing a term? Ask us: we will explain it and add it here.

A

Admin panel: The private part of a website for staff: managing content, orders, users and settings.
API: The way one program talks to another: a website to an ERP, a CRM to telephony, an app to a payment system. It defines which requests can be sent and what comes back.

B

Backend: The server side of a website that visitors do not see: processing orders and forms, working with the database, exchanging data with an ERP and CRM.
Backup: A spare copy of the website and its database. If the server breaks or data is deleted by mistake, the project is restored from the backup. Copies should be kept elsewhere, not on the same server.

C

Cache: Temporary storage of ready results so they do not have to be computed again. It speeds up the website and reduces server load.
CI/CD: Automatic checking and release of code. After every change the tests run, and if they pass, the new version goes to the server by itself. Less manual work and fewer mistakes during updates.
CMS: A content management system: you edit texts, pages and products in it without a developer. Examples are WordPress, 1C-Bitrix and Tilda.
Code review: Another developer checks the code before it gets into the project. It catches mistakes and keeps the code readable.
Cookie: Small files a website stores in the browser to remember a login, a cart or settings. Analytics and advertising cookies require the visitor's consent by law.
CRM: A system for working with customers: leads, deals, calls and the whole history in one place, for example Bitrix24 or AmoCRM. Website requests are usually sent there automatically.

D

Database: Where all project data is stored: users, products, orders. We usually use PostgreSQL.
Deploy: Releasing a new version of a website to the live server. A well-built deploy runs automatically and without downtime.
DevOps: Everything it takes for code to run reliably on servers: environment setup, releasing updates, backups, monitoring and responding to incidents.
DNS: The system that turns a website address (example.com) into a server address. DNS records are set up when moving a site, connecting domain e-mail or issuing an SSL certificate.
Docker: A tool that packs an application together with everything it needs into a "container". The project runs the same way on a developer's laptop and on the server.
Domain: A website's address on the internet, for example omegakontur.ru. It is registered to the owner and renewed once a year.

F

Framework: A ready-made foundation for development that handles routine tasks, so code is written faster and more reliably. We work with Laravel (PHP) and React.
Frontend: The visible part of a website that visitors interact with: pages, buttons, forms, animations.

G

Git: A version control system: it keeps the history of every code change, lets several people work on a project and rolls back to an earlier version if something breaks.

H

High load: When so many visitors arrive at once that the website slows down or goes down — during sales, in season, after an ad campaign. Solved with code optimisation, caching and architecture.
Hosting: Space on a server where a website "lives" and is served to visitors from. It can be shared (cheap, but resources are split with neighbours), a VPS or a dedicated server.

I

Integration: Connecting a website to other systems: ERP, CRM, payment services, warehouse, marketplaces. Data moves automatically, without copying it by hand.
IT outsourcing: Development and support handled by an external team instead of in-house staff. The company pays for results and does not spend time on hiring, holidays and replacements.

J

Job queue: A mechanism that runs long operations in the background: mailings, file processing, exports. The visitor does not have to wait for them to finish.

K

Kubernetes: A system that runs many containers across several servers: it adds copies of an application under load and restarts the ones that fail. Used by large projects.

L

Landing page: A single-page website with one goal: to present a service or product and get a request.
Legacy code: Old code inherited from previous developers: no documentation, outdated versions, and everyone is afraid to touch it. It usually needs an audit and gradual refactoring.

M

Microservices: An architecture where a large system is split into small independent services. Each can be updated and scaled separately.
Monitoring: Constant watch over the website and servers: availability, speed, errors, disk space. You learn about a problem before visitors notice it.
MVP: A minimum viable product: only the core features, to test an idea with real users quickly without spending the budget on extras.

O

Open source: Software with open source code: it can be used, studied and modified for free. Much of the internet runs on open source — Linux, PHP, PostgreSQL.

P

Personal data: Information that identifies a person: name, phone, e-mail. A Russian website that collects it must follow Federal Law 152-FZ: publish a processing policy and obtain consent.
Product feed: A file listing products (XML, JSON, CSV) that the website automatically provides to marketplaces, ad platforms and aggregators.
Project audit: A review of an existing website or service: code, architecture, speed, security. The result is a list of problems and a clear plan of what to fix first.
Project manager: The person who runs a project: gathers requirements, plans deadlines, assigns tasks and keeps the client informed.
Prototype: A layout of a future website or app: which blocks are on each page and how to move between them. Discussing a prototype is cheaper than redoing a finished design.
PWA: A website you can install on a phone or computer like an app: with an icon on the screen and its own window, without an app store.

R

RAG: An approach where an AI model answers from your documents rather than from memory: it first finds the relevant pieces in a knowledge base, then writes the answer from them. Support chatbots work this way.
Refactoring: Reworking code without changing what the user sees. It makes the code clearer and further changes easier.
Responsive layout: A website that adapts to the screen size and is equally convenient on a phone, a tablet and a computer.
Retainer support: Ongoing project maintenance for a fixed monthly fee: improvements, updates, monitoring, incident response. In effect, an outsourced IT department.

S

S3 storage: Cloud storage for files: images, documents, backups. It does not run out of space, and files are not lost if a server breaks.
SEO: Work on making a website show up in Google and Yandex: page structure, texts, loading speed, technical markup.
SLA: A service level agreement: how quickly the contractor responds to a request and fixes an outage. It is written into the support contract.
SSL certificate: A certificate that lets a website open over https and encrypts data between the browser and the server. Without it, browsers mark the site as not secure.
SSR: Server-side rendering: the page is built on the server and arrives in the browser ready. It opens faster, and search engines see all the text right away.

T

Technical specification: A document describing exactly what needs to be built: features, pages, integrations, requirements. The basis for estimating time and cost.
Testing: Checking that the website works as intended. Automated tests run on every code change and catch breakages before visitors see them.

U

UI/UX: UI is how an interface looks: buttons, fonts, colours. UX is how easy it is to use: whether it is clear where to click and how to reach the goal.

V

VPS: A virtual private server: a share of a powerful physical server with guaranteed resources and full access. More flexible than shared hosting, cheaper than a dedicated server.

W

Webhook: An automatic notification from one system to another about an event: for example, a payment system tells the website that an order has been paid.

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