A record
Plain-English definition: Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address.
Why it matters: It decides where a browser goes for an apex or host name.
Reference
Maker web deploy glossary.
Plain-English terms for makers publishing static sites, reading DNS records, using a VPS, debugging Nginx, and keeping deploy notes understandable.
How to use the glossary
Do not memorize every term before starting. Open the glossary when a project page uses a word that changes what you should inspect next. Terms are written for practical site deployment: DNS records, Nginx routing, HTTPS certificates, Linux services, logs, release folders, and rollback habits.
Each term includes a related command or page so the definition connects back to an action. If a word matters because it can break a live site, the related page should show what to inspect before changing configuration.
AAAA record
Plain-English definition: Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address.
Why it matters: A stale IPv6 record can send some users to the wrong server.
CNAME
Plain-English definition: Points one hostname at another hostname.
Why it matters: It is common for www records but not always valid at the apex domain.
DNS propagation
Plain-English definition: The delay while resolvers see changed DNS records.
Why it matters: It explains why your machine and another network may disagree.
TTL
Plain-English definition: Time to live for cached DNS answers.
Why it matters: A long TTL makes old records linger after a change.
Apex domain
Plain-English definition: The bare domain without a subdomain, such as topicladder.com.
Why it matters: It often needs A or AAAA records instead of a CNAME.
www subdomain
Plain-English definition: A common hostname that can point to the same site as the apex.
Why it matters: Redirect decisions should keep www and apex behavior consistent.
VPS
Plain-English definition: A virtual private server you control like a small remote machine.
Why it matters: Static sites on a VPS need files, Nginx, DNS, HTTPS, and logs.
SSH
Plain-English definition: A secure shell connection to a remote machine.
Why it matters: SSH is how many makers inspect and deploy files on a VPS.
Nginx
Plain-English definition: A web server often used to serve static files and reverse proxy apps.
Why it matters: A wrong Nginx root, server block, or reload can make a good build unreachable.
Server block
Plain-English definition: An Nginx configuration section for a site or hostname.
Why it matters: It decides names, document roots, redirects, and TLS behavior.
root
Plain-English definition: The filesystem directory Nginx serves for a static site.
Why it matters: If root points at the wrong folder, a deploy can succeed but show stale pages.
index file
Plain-English definition: The default file served for a directory, often index.html.
Why it matters: Missing index files create confusing 403 or 404 results.
Redirect
Plain-English definition: A response that sends the browser to another URL.
Why it matters: Redirect loops and wrong canonical redirects can hide otherwise healthy content.
Canonical URL
Plain-English definition: The preferred URL for a page.
Why it matters: It helps users and search engines understand which version is primary.
Sitemap
Plain-English definition: A machine-readable or human-readable list of public routes.
Why it matters: It helps review what exists and whether important pages are discoverable.
robots.txt
Plain-English definition: A file that gives crawler access hints.
Why it matters: It should not accidentally block public pages that need to be found.
SSL
Plain-English definition: Older common name for encrypted web connections.
Why it matters: People still say SSL when they usually mean TLS certificates.
TLS
Plain-English definition: The modern protocol for encrypted HTTPS connections.
Why it matters: TLS errors can be DNS, certificate, clock, or server configuration problems.
Certificate
Plain-English definition: A file proving a site can serve HTTPS for a hostname.
Why it matters: Wrong certificates cause browser warnings even when HTTP works.
Certbot
Plain-English definition: A common tool for issuing and renewing Let's Encrypt certificates.
Why it matters: A dry run can test renewal before a certificate expires.
HTTP
Plain-English definition: The web protocol commonly served on port 80.
Why it matters: HTTP reachability can be tested separately from HTTPS.
HTTPS
Plain-English definition: HTTP over TLS, commonly served on port 443.
Why it matters: HTTPS proves a different layer than DNS or plain HTTP.
Port 80
Plain-English definition: The default port for HTTP traffic.
Why it matters: Firewalls or Nginx listeners can block it even when DNS is correct.
Port 443
Plain-English definition: The default port for HTTPS traffic.
Why it matters: Certificate and firewall problems often appear here first.
curl
Plain-English definition: A command-line tool for making web requests.
Why it matters: It shows status codes and headers without relying on browser cache.
dig
Plain-English definition: A DNS lookup tool.
Why it matters: It helps prove what DNS records resolvers currently return.
systemd
Plain-English definition: A Linux service manager.
Why it matters: It controls services, timers, boot behavior, and status reporting.
journalctl
Plain-English definition: A tool for reading systemd logs.
Why it matters: It helps connect service failures to real log lines.
Symlink
Plain-English definition: A filesystem pointer from one path to another.
Why it matters: Static deploys often use a current symlink to choose the active release.
Release folder
Plain-English definition: A dated or versioned deploy output directory.
Why it matters: It gives you a rollback target when a new deploy fails.
Rollback
Plain-English definition: Switching back to a previous known-good release.
Why it matters: Rollback keeps launch risk lower while you fix the broken release.
rsync
Plain-English definition: A file-copy tool often used for deploys.
Why it matters: Dry runs help inspect what will change before syncing.
nginx -t
Plain-English definition: The Nginx configuration test command.
Why it matters: It should pass before reload so bad config does not replace a working site.
systemctl reload
Plain-English definition: A service reload that asks a service to reread configuration.
Why it matters: It is safer after a config test but still changes running behavior.
DNS cache
Plain-English definition: A cached resolver answer kept by a browser, OS, router, or upstream resolver.
Why it matters: It can make one test appear stale while another network is correct.
Browser cache
Plain-English definition: Stored browser responses and redirects.
Why it matters: It can hide a fixed deploy behind an old redirect or cached file.
Status code
Plain-English definition: The numeric HTTP result such as 200, 301, 403, 404, or 500.
Why it matters: It tells which layer of web behavior failed.
200 OK
Plain-English definition: The request succeeded.
Why it matters: A 200 can still be stale if it comes from the wrong release.
301 redirect
Plain-English definition: A permanent redirect.
Why it matters: A wrong 301 can stick in browsers and make testing confusing.
403 forbidden
Plain-English definition: The server understood the request but refused access.
Why it matters: For static sites this often means permissions, index, or root problems.
404 not found
Plain-English definition: The server could not find the requested route.
Why it matters: It can mean the page was not generated, not deployed, or served from the wrong folder.
500 error
Plain-English definition: A server-side failure.
Why it matters: Static sites should rarely produce it, so check Nginx and upstream services.
Document root
Plain-English definition: The configured folder a web server reads for static files.
Why it matters: It must match the current release or public folder.
Host header
Plain-English definition: The hostname sent by the browser in the request.
Why it matters: Nginx uses it to choose the matching server block.
Server name
Plain-English definition: The hostnames an Nginx server block answers for.
Why it matters: Wrong server names can route traffic to the default site.
Default site
Plain-English definition: The fallback site a web server serves when no hostname matches.
Why it matters: Seeing a default page often means the server block did not match.
Access log
Plain-English definition: A log of requests received by a server.
Why it matters: It proves whether traffic reached the server and which paths were requested.
Error log
Plain-English definition: A log of server-side errors.
Why it matters: It often names missing files, permission problems, or upstream failures.
File permissions
Plain-English definition: Read, write, and execute bits on files and directories.
Why it matters: Directories need execute permission to be traversed.
Owner and group
Plain-English definition: The user and group attached to a file or process.
Why it matters: Ownership mismatches can block deploys and service reads.
Environment variable
Plain-English definition: A named value available to a process.
Why it matters: Deploy scripts and services can fail if expected environment values are missing.
PATH
Plain-English definition: The shell search path for executable commands.
Why it matters: Scripts can fail when PATH differs between an interactive shell and a service.
Working directory
Plain-English definition: The current directory where relative paths resolve.
Why it matters: Wrong working directories make scripts read or write the wrong files.
Absolute path
Plain-English definition: A path starting from the filesystem root.
Why it matters: It avoids ambiguity during deploy and service checks.
Relative path
Plain-English definition: A path interpreted from the current working directory.
Why it matters: It is convenient but risky in scripts and service units.
Dry run
Plain-English definition: A preview mode that shows intended changes without applying them.
Why it matters: Dry runs reduce risk before sync, delete, and deploy commands.
Idempotent
Plain-English definition: Safe to run repeatedly with the same result.
Why it matters: Deploy scripts are easier to trust when repeated runs do not create surprise changes.
Artifact
Plain-English definition: A produced file or folder that proves a build step finished.
Why it matters: Artifacts turn vague learning into something inspectable.
Checksum
Plain-English definition: A compact value used to verify file content.
Why it matters: It helps prove a download or generated file did not change unexpectedly.
Backup
Plain-English definition: A separate copy kept for recovery.
Why it matters: Backups matter before deletion, formatting, database changes, and risky deploys.
Least privilege
Plain-English definition: Giving only the access needed for a task.
Why it matters: It prevents broad ownership, permission, and sudo mistakes.
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