Web Glossary

CDN (Content Delivery Network)

A Content Delivery Network is a geographically distributed network of servers that delivers web content to users based on their location. CDNs cache content at edge locations closer to users for faster delivery.

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures the visual stability of a webpage. It quantifies how much the page layout shifts unexpectedly during the loading process.

DNS (Domain Name System)

The Domain Name System (DNS) is often called the phonebook of the internet. It translates human-readable domain names (like grantarchive.com) into numerical IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network.

FID (First Input Delay)

First Input Delay (FID) measures the time from when a user first interacts with a page (like clicking a link) to when the browser can actually begin processing that event.

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures the time it takes for the largest content element in the viewport to become visible. This typically includes images, video posters, or large text blocks.

PageSpeed

PageSpeed refers to how quickly a web page loads and becomes usable. It is measured by various tools including Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and WebPageTest. Better PageSpeed scores improve user experience and SEO rankings.

robots.txt

robots.txt is a text file that tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections of a website they can access. It is used to prevent certain pages from being indexed.

XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages on a website, helping search engines discover and crawl content more efficiently. It can also include metadata about each URL.

SSL/TLS

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor TLS (Transport Layer Security) are cryptographic protocols that provide secure communication over a computer network. SSL/TLS encrypts the connection between a web browser and server.

WHOIS

WHOIS is a protocol used to query databases that store information about registered domain names. It reveals who owns a domain, when it was registered, and contact information for the owner.