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Bandwidth measures how much data is transferred between your site and its visitors over time, while disk space measures how much storage your website’s files and database actually take up on the server. They’re separate limits that get used differently. This explanation of bandwidth in web hosting breaks down the distinction.

This is done by updating your domain’s DNS settings, usually the nameservers, to direct traffic to the new host instead of the old one. Changes can take time to fully spread across the internet. This guide to what happens after buying hosting and a domain explains this process in more detail.

A staging site is a private copy of your website used to test changes, updates, or new designs before pushing them live. Using it safely means keeping it separate from your real site and only publishing changes once you’ve confirmed everything works. This beginner’s explanation of staging sites covers the setup.

Uptime measures how consistently a server stays online and accessible, usually shown as a percentage. Most reliable hosts aim for 99.9% or higher, which still allows for a small amount of expected downtime each year. This guide to how servers handle traffic explains what affects reliability.

Several free online tools let you check load times from servers in different regions, which helps reveal whether slowness is caused by your hosting setup or by distance between the visitor and your server. This guide to how servers handle traffic explains why location affects performance.

A dedicated IP address is used exclusively by your website rather than shared with others on the same server, which can matter for certain security certificates or specific server configurations. Most everyday websites don’t require one. This full breakdown of dedicated servers explains when this level of control is actually needed.

If backups aren’t included, you can manually export your files and database on a regular schedule, or use a plugin or third-party tool designed for automated backups. Managed hosting plans typically handle this automatically instead. This full guide to managed WordPress hosting covers what’s usually included.

A CDN, or content delivery network, stores copies of your site’s files across multiple locations worldwide so visitors load pages from a server closer to them. Some hosting plans include one, while others require adding it separately. This guide to how servers handle traffic explains why distance affects load speed.

Some hosts allow minor adjustments through caching, optimizing your site’s code, or removing unnecessary plugins to reduce strain, but there’s usually a ceiling you can’t pass without moving to a higher plan. This simple explanation of hosting resource limits covers what actually counts toward your usage.

A 502 error usually means one server received an invalid response from another server it was relying on, while a 503 means the server itself is temporarily unavailable, often due to overload or maintenance. Both are usually short-term issues. This explanation of what a 503 error means covers common causes.

Repeated suspensions usually mean your site is going over its resource limits, whether that’s storage, bandwidth, or processing power, and the host is stepping in to protect server stability for other customers. This explanation of hosting resource limits breaks down what typically triggers this.

An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your website and its visitors, shown by the padlock icon in a browser. Most hosting providers now include one for free as part of the setup process. This guide to what happens after buying hosting and a domain covers where this fits into setup.

Linux hosting is the more common choice and works well for most websites, especially WordPress, while Windows hosting is generally only necessary if your site relies on specific Windows-based software or a .NET framework. This full breakdown of dedicated servers explains how server environments differ.

cPanel is a visual control panel that lets you manage hosting features like domains, email, and files without using command-line tools. It’s not strictly required, but it makes day-to-day site management much easier for non-technical users. This guide to managed WordPress hosting covers similar tools built for convenience.

Technically yes, but it requires keeping your computer running constantly, configuring your network to accept outside connections, and handling security yourself, which is why most people use dedicated hosting instead. This full breakdown of dedicated servers shows what a properly built hosting setup actually involves.