/ Glossary   No jargon, ever

# The plain-English glossary Every technical term this site uses, defined in one sentence a non-engineer can act on. 29 terms — the same ones that appear as taps on the rescue and guide pages.  29 terms One sentence each No acronym left behind            29 terms  CDFHILMPQRSTUV    Copy link  backup A tested copy of your site you can restore from; an untested backup is a hope, not a plan. Backup System & Restore Test →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/backup/index.html)   Copy link  blacklist A list of domains flagged for abuse; landing on one blocks your email or hides your site from searchers. Hack Cleanup & Malware Removal →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hack-cleanup/index.html)    Copy link  cache A ready-made copy of your pages kept warm so the server doesn't rebuild everything on every visit. Website Speed Optimization →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/speed/index.html)   Copy link  CDN Content Delivery Network — copies of your files served from cities near each visitor, so pages load faster worldwide. Website Speed Optimization →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/speed/index.html)   Copy link  CLS Cumulative Layout Shift — how much the page jumps around while loading. Good is under 0.1. Website Speed Optimization →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/speed/index.html)   Copy link  CMS Content Management System — the software (like WordPress) you use to edit pages without touching code. Hosting Consolidation & Cost Cut →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hosting/index.html)   Copy link  Core Web Vitals Google's three real-user speed scores: loading (LCP), visual stability (CLS) and responsiveness (INP). Website Speed Optimization →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/speed/index.html)    Copy link  database Where your site stores its content and user data; overloaded or corrupted, it throws errors instead of pages. Database Performance Rescue →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/database/index.html)   Copy link  DKIM A digital signature added to your emails proving they really came from your domain and were not altered. Email Deliverability / Spam Rescue →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/email-spam/index.html)   Copy link  DMARC A DNS policy telling mailbox providers what to do when a message fails its SPF or DKIM checks. Email Deliverability / Spam Rescue →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/email-spam/index.html)   Copy link  DNS The internet's address book: it turns your domain name into the server visitors actually reach. Domain Hijack Recovery →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/domain-hijack/index.html)    Copy link  firewall A filter that blocks known-bad traffic before it ever reaches your site. Bot Traffic & Anti-Bot Defence →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/bot-wipeout/index.html)   Copy link  FTP File Transfer Protocol — the old way of moving files to a server; left open and unencrypted, attackers love it. Hack Cleanup & Malware Removal →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hack-cleanup/index.html)    Copy link  hosting The service that runs your site on a server; the plan you pick decides your speed ceiling and your crash risk. Hosting Consolidation & Cost Cut →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hosting/index.html)    Copy link  INP Interaction to Next Paint — how fast the page reacts when someone clicks or taps. Good is under 200ms. Website Speed Optimization →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/speed/index.html)    Copy link  LCP Largest Contentful Paint — how long until the main content of a page appears. Good is under 2.5 seconds. Website Speed Optimization →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/speed/index.html)    Copy link  malware Malicious software planted on your site; it can redirect visitors, steal data, or get you blacklisted by Google. Hack Cleanup & Malware Removal →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hack-cleanup/index.html)    Copy link  PHP The language most WordPress sites run on; an outdated version is one of the most common ways in. VPS Optimization & Server Tuning →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/vps/index.html)   Copy link  plugin An add-on that extends your CMS; outdated or abandoned plugins are the most common way sites get hacked. Hack Cleanup & Malware Removal →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hack-cleanup/index.html)    Copy link  quota A cap on the disk, memory or emails your plan allows; hitting it is a common cause of sudden failures. Hosting Consolidation & Cost Cut →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hosting/index.html)    Copy link  redirect Automatically sending a visitor from one URL to another; broken loops tank both pages and rankings. SEO / Google Index Recovery →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/seo-rescue/index.html)   Copy link  registrar The company where your domain name is registered — whoever controls that account controls the domain. Domain Hijack Recovery →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/domain-hijack/index.html)    Copy link  SEO Search Engine Optimisation — the work that helps Google show your pages for the phrases customers type. SEO / Google Index Recovery →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/seo-rescue/index.html)   Copy link  shared hosting A cheap plan where your site shares one server with hundreds of others; one busy neighbour slows you down. Hosting Consolidation & Cost Cut →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hosting/index.html)   Copy link  SPF A DNS record listing which servers may send email as your domain; missing or wrong, your mail lands in spam. Email Deliverability / Spam Rescue →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/email-spam/index.html)   Copy link  SSL The certificate that encrypts traffic and turns http:// into the padlock https:// shoppers trust.    Copy link  two-factor A second proof of identity (a code from your phone) on top of the password, so a stolen password isn't enough. Hack Cleanup & Malware Removal →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/hack-cleanup/index.html)    Copy link  uptime The share of time your site is actually online; 99.9% still allows about 43 minutes down every month. Downtime Response & Continuity Plan →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/continuity/index.html)    Copy link  VPS Virtual Private Server — your own slice of a machine with guaranteed resources, so a traffic spike doesn't take you down. VPS Optimization & Server Tuning →](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/rescue/vps/index.html)  No term matches that. Try a shorter search, or ask us in plain English](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/contact/index.html).

## Still a word you don't recognise? Send the symptom in your own words. You get a flat-rate ticket and a plain-English explanation — never a wall of jargon. See the 30 Rescue Tickets](https://getfullstacksolutions.com/index.html#catalog)