Glossary · Internet & Web404 Page (Not Found Page)A 404 page is what a server shows when a requested URL does not exist, and it should return the HTTP 404 status code along with helpful navigation.Glossary · Internet & WebAd BlockerAn ad blocker is a browser extension or app that stops advertisements and often trackers from loading, using filter lists to match their addresses.Glossary · Internet & WebAlgorithmic FeedAn algorithmic feed is a stream of posts ranked and selected by a platform's recommendation system rather than shown strictly in chronological order.Glossary · Internet & WebAutofillAutofill is a browser or password manager feature that fills in saved details such as names, addresses, card numbers and logins on web forms automatically.Glossary · Internet & WebAvatarAn avatar is the image or character that represents a user online, such as a profile picture, cartoon figure or 3D character in a game or virtual world.Glossary · Internet & WebBandwidthBandwidth is the maximum amount of data a connection can transfer per second, usually measured in Mbps or Gbps; hosts also use it for monthly transfer.Glossary · Internet & WebBlog (Weblog)A blog is a website or section of one where posts are published in reverse chronological order, used for personal writing, news and business content.Glossary · Internet & WebBot (Internet Bot)A bot is a software program that performs automated tasks online, from helpful search crawlers and chatbots to spam, scraping and attack tools.Glossary · Internet & WebBreadcrumb NavigationBreadcrumb navigation is a row of links on a page showing the path from the home page to the current page, helping users see where they are and go back up.Glossary · Internet & WebBrowser CacheThe browser cache is local storage where a browser keeps copies of files it has downloaded so repeat visits can load faster without refetching them.Glossary · Internet & WebBrowser ExtensionA browser extension is a small add-on program that extends a web browser with features such as ad blocking, password management or developer tools.Glossary · Internet & WebBrowser HistoryBrowser history is the list of web pages a browser has visited on a device, stored locally so that users can revisit pages and get address-bar suggestions.Glossary · Internet & WebCache-ControlCache-Control is an HTTP header that sets caching rules, such as how long browsers and CDNs may reuse a response and whether they may store it.Glossary · Internet & WebCAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart)A CAPTCHA is a challenge on a web form designed to be easy for people but hard for automated bots, used to block spam and abuse.Glossary · Internet & WebccTLD (Country Code Top-Level Domain)A ccTLD is a two-letter top-level domain assigned to a country or territory, such as .uk, .de or .in, often used to signal local targeting.Glossary · Internet & WebClickbaitClickbait is content whose headline or thumbnail is crafted to provoke curiosity and win clicks, often promising more than the page actually delivers.Glossary · Internet & WebComment SectionA comment section is the area below an article, video or post where readers can write public replies and discuss the content with the author and each other.Glossary · Internet & WebContent ModerationContent moderation is the process of reviewing and acting on user-submitted content to enforce a platform's rules, using people, automation or both.Glossary · Internet & WebCookie (HTTP Cookie)A cookie is a small piece of data a website stores in your browser and sends back with later requests, used for sessions, preferences and tracking.Glossary · Internet & WebCSS (Cascading Style Sheets)CSS is the language that controls the visual presentation of HTML, including layout, colors, fonts and spacing across screen sizes.Glossary · Internet & WebDark WebThe dark web is a small part of the internet reachable only through special software such as Tor, with hidden services that do not appear in search engines.Glossary · Internet & WebDeep LinkA deep link is a link that points to a specific page or piece of content inside a website or app, rather than to its home page or start screen.Glossary · Internet & WebDeep WebThe deep web is all online content that search engines do not index, such as email inboxes, banking pages, private databases and paywalled or login-only pages.Glossary · Internet & WebDigital FootprintA digital footprint is the trail of data you leave online, including posts you make, sites you visit, accounts you hold and information collected about you.Glossary · Internet & WebDM (Direct Message)A direct message, or DM, is a private message sent from one user to another or to a small group on a social platform, outside the public feed or comments.Glossary · Internet & WebDomain NameA domain name is the human-readable address of a website, such as example.com, which DNS translates into the IP address of a server.Glossary · Internet & WebDomain ParkingDomain parking is holding a registered domain without a real website, often with a placeholder page, ads or a for-sale notice.Glossary · Internet & WebEmojiAn emoji is a small pictographic character, such as a smiley face, defined in the Unicode standard and displayed as a colored image in text messages and apps.Glossary · Internet & WebFaviconA favicon is the small icon representing a website in browser tabs, bookmarks and search results, usually declared with a link tag or a favicon.ico file.Glossary · Internet & WebHashtagA hashtag is a word or phrase prefixed with the # symbol that labels a post on social media so people can find and follow posts about the same topic.Glossary · Internet & WebHTML (HyperText Markup Language)HTML is the standard markup language that defines the structure and content of web pages using elements such as headings, links, images and forms.Glossary · Internet & WebHTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)HTTP is the request-and-response protocol browsers and servers use to exchange web pages, files and API data, with methods, headers and status codes.Glossary · Internet & WebHTTPS (HTTP Secure)HTTPS is HTTP sent over a TLS-encrypted connection, protecting data from eavesdropping and tampering and verifying the site's identity with a certificate.Glossary · Internet & WebHyperlinkA hyperlink is a clickable reference in a web page that takes the visitor to another page, file or section, created with the HTML anchor element.Glossary · Internet & Webiframe (Inline Frame)An iframe is an HTML element that embeds another web page inside the current one, commonly used for maps, videos and third-party widgets.Glossary · Internet & WebIncognito Mode (Private Browsing)Incognito mode is a browser setting that does not save history, cookies or form data after the window closes, though sites and networks can still see activity.Glossary · Internet & WebInfluencerAn influencer is a person with an engaged online following who shapes opinions and buying decisions, often working with brands through sponsored posts.Glossary · Internet & WebInternet ForumAn internet forum is an online discussion site where members post messages in topic threads, with replies stored and visible for later reading.Glossary · Internet & WebInternet MemeAn internet meme is a piece of humor, an image, video or phrase that spreads rapidly online as people copy, remix and share it with new variations.Glossary · Internet & WebInternet TrollAn internet troll is a person who posts deliberately provocative, off-topic or offensive messages online to upset others and draw attention or reactions.Glossary · Internet & WebIP AddressAn IP address is a numeric label assigned to a device or server on a network, letting data packets be sent to the right destination on the internet.Glossary · Internet & WebIPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4)IPv4 is the older internet addressing system using 32-bit addresses written as four numbers like 192.0.2.1, with about 4.3 billion possible values.Glossary · Internet & WebIPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6)IPv6 is the newer internet addressing system using 128-bit addresses written in hexadecimal, designed to replace IPv4's limited address space.Glossary · Internet & WebISP (Internet Service Provider)An ISP is a company that provides internet access to homes and businesses, assigning IP addresses and routing traffic to the wider internet.Glossary · Internet & WebJavaScriptJavaScript is the programming language browsers run to make web pages interactive, from form validation to full web applications.Glossary · Internet & WebLivestreamA livestream is a real-time broadcast of video or audio over the internet, letting viewers watch an event as it happens and often chat with the host.Glossary · Internet & Weblocalhostlocalhost is the hostname that always refers to the current device, resolving to 127.0.0.1 in IPv4 and ::1 in IPv6, used for local development and testing.Glossary · Internet & WebMalvertising (Malicious Advertising)Malvertising is the use of online ads to spread malware or scams, often by slipping a harmful ad into legitimate ad networks that load on trusted websites.Glossary · Internet & WebMIME Type (Media Type)A MIME type is a label such as text/html or image/png that tells a browser what kind of data a response contains and how to handle it.Glossary · Internet & WebNet NeutralityNet neutrality is the principle that internet providers should treat all lawful traffic equally, without blocking, slowing or charging extra for specific sites.Glossary · Internet & WebNewsletter (Email Newsletter)A newsletter is a regularly sent email or digital publication that delivers updates, articles or offers to people who have subscribed to receive it.Glossary · Internet & WebOnline PrivacyOnline privacy is a person's ability to control what personal information is collected, shared and used about them when they browse and use online services.Glossary · Internet & WebPaywallA paywall is a system on a website that restricts access to some or all content until the visitor pays or subscribes, common for news and media sites.Glossary · Internet & WebPermalinkA permalink is a permanent, stable URL that points to one specific page or post so that it can be bookmarked, shared and cited without the address changing.Glossary · Internet & WebPodcastA podcast is a series of audio or video episodes delivered over the internet, which listeners can subscribe to, download or stream in a podcast app.Glossary · Internet & WebPop-upA pop-up is a small window or overlay that appears over a web page, often used for ads, sign-up prompts, cookie notices or alerts, and sometimes abused.Glossary · Internet & WebPWA (Progressive Web App)A PWA is a web app that uses a manifest, service worker and HTTPS to offer installability, offline support and app-like behavior from a browser.Glossary · Internet & WebQR Code (Quick Response Code)A QR code is a two-dimensional square barcode that stores data such as a web address and is read by a phone camera, opening the encoded content instantly.Glossary · Internet & WebQuery StringA query string is the part of a URL after the question mark that carries key-value parameters, such as search terms or tracking tags, to the server.Glossary · Internet & WebReferrer (HTTP Referer)The referrer is the HTTP header telling a site which page a visitor came from; the header name is historically misspelled as Referer.Glossary · Internet & WebResponsive DesignResponsive design is an approach where a website's layout adapts to different screen sizes using flexible grids, media queries and scalable images.Glossary · Internet & Webrobots.txtrobots.txt is a plain text file at a site's root that tells crawlers which paths they may or may not request; it is a guideline, not access control.Glossary · Internet & WebRSS (Really Simple Syndication)RSS is an XML feed format that lists a site's latest posts so readers and apps can subscribe and get updates without visiting the site.Glossary · Internet & WebSearch EngineA search engine is a service that crawls and indexes web pages and returns a ranked list of results matching a user's query.Glossary · Internet & WebSession (Web Session)A web session is a series of requests from one visitor tied together by a server-side record, usually identified by a session ID stored in a cookie.Glossary · Internet & WebSitemap (XML Sitemap)A sitemap is a file listing a site's URLs, usually in XML, to help search engines discover and understand the pages you want indexed.Glossary · Internet & WebSocial MediaSocial media refers to websites and apps where users create profiles, publish content and interact with each other through posts, comments, messages and shares.Glossary · Internet & WebSpamSpam is unsolicited, usually bulk or irrelevant electronic messaging sent to many recipients, most often by email, comments, texts or social posts.Glossary · Internet & WebStreamingStreaming is delivering audio or video over the internet continuously so it plays while it downloads, instead of waiting for the whole file to arrive.Glossary · Internet & WebSync (Synchronization)Sync, short for synchronization, is the process of keeping data such as files, bookmarks or settings identical across several devices or services.Glossary · Internet & WebTLD (Top-Level Domain)A TLD is the last label of a domain name, such as .com, .org or .in, and sits at the top of the DNS hierarchy under the root.Glossary · Internet & WebUGC (User-Generated Content)User-generated content is any text, image, video or review created by a site's users rather than by the site owner, such as comments, posts and reviews.Glossary · Internet & WebURI (Uniform Resource Identifier)A URI is a string that identifies a resource by name, location or both; every URL is a URI, but not every URI is a URL.Glossary · Internet & WebURL (Uniform Resource Locator)A URL is the full web address of a resource, combining a scheme, host, optional port, path, query string and fragment that tell a browser where to fetch it.Glossary · Internet & WebURL Fragment (Hash)A URL fragment is the part after the # symbol that points to a section within a page and is handled by the browser, never sent to the server.Glossary · Internet & WebURL ShortenerA URL shortener is a service that turns a long web address into a short link that redirects visitors to the original page, often with click tracking.Glossary · Internet & WebUser AgentA user agent is the software making an HTTP request, identified by the User-Agent header string that names the browser, version and operating system.Glossary · Internet & WebUser Profile (Online Profile)An online profile is the page or record describing a user on a website or app, including name, picture, bio and settings, visible to others or private.Glossary · Internet & WebUsername (Handle)A username, or handle, is the unique name a person uses to identify their account on a website or app, often shown publicly and prefixed with @ on social media.Glossary · Internet & WebUTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format)UTF-8 is the dominant character encoding on the web, representing every Unicode character using one to four bytes while staying compatible with ASCII.Glossary · Internet & WebViral ContentViral content is an online post, video or article that spreads rapidly through shares and reposts, reaching far more people than its original audience.Glossary · Internet & WebVlog (Video Blog)A vlog is a video blog, a series of personal or topical videos published online, typically on a video platform, where the creator speaks to the camera.Glossary · Internet & WebWeb App (Web Application)A web app is an interactive application delivered through a browser, such as webmail or an online store, as opposed to a mostly static informational website.Glossary · Internet & WebWeb BrowserA web browser is software that requests pages from web servers, interprets HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and displays the result to the user.Glossary · Internet & WebWeb Crawler (Spider, Bot)A web crawler is an automated program that visits web pages, follows links and collects content, mainly to build search engine indexes.Glossary · Internet & WebWeb HostingWeb hosting is a service that stores your website's files on a server connected to the internet so visitors can reach them at all times.Glossary · Internet & WebWeb PortalA web portal is a website that gives users a single, often login-protected entry point to information, services or tools, such as a customer or employee portal.Glossary · Internet & WebWeb ServerA web server is software, and the machine running it, that receives HTTP requests from browsers and returns web pages, files or API responses.Glossary · Internet & WebWebhookA webhook is an HTTP callback in which one system sends a POST request to a URL you provide whenever a specific event happens.Glossary · Internet & WebWikiA wiki is a website whose pages can be created and edited collaboratively by its users, with a visible history of changes, as on Wikipedia.