72 Essential Acronyms Related to Web Site Development

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Acronyms are a tradition in the tech world. To the untrained eye, they can be confusing and intimidating. To help clear some of the letter-fog, we’ve listed 72 common web site development acronyms with their definitions. Bookmark this page if you are getting ready to start a web site project - you are sure to have some of these letters flung your way.

Markup and Styling

1. CSS: Cascading Style Sheets — CSS is a stylesheet language used to define how a web page written HTML or XHTML should be presented and displayed in a web browser.
2. DHTML: Dynamic HyperText Markup Language — DHTML is the term used when HTML, JavaScript and CSS are used to create animated or interactive web sites.
3. HTML: HyperText Markup Language — HTML is a tag-based markup language used to create web pages. Every site on the internet uses HTML in some form.
4. WML: Wireless Markup Language — WML is an XML-based markup language for content accessed through a wireless mobile device. Similar to HTML.
5. XHTML: Extensible HyperText Markup Language — XHTML is a special type of HTML that conforms to the strict rules of XML. This allows for cleaner code and code that can be understood by a wider array of software.
6. XML: Extensible Markup Language — XML is a general purpose markup language for describing data in a structured manner.

Business Logic Programming

1. ASP (Microsoft): Active Server Pages — ASP is a server-side scripting language used to add business logic and database interactivity to dynamic websites.
2. CGI: Common Gateway Interface — CGI is a protocol that allows server applications to interact with client web browsers.
3. JSP: JavaServer Pages — JSP is a server-side scripting language used to add business logic and database interactivity to dynamic websites.
4. PHP: PHP Hypertext Preprocessor/Personal Home Page — PHP is a server-side scripting language used to add business logic and database interactivity to dynamic websites.
5. RoR: Ruby on Rails — RoR is a web application framework based on the Ruby scripting language. It has been used by several popular Web 2.0 web sites.
6. SSI: Server Side Includes — SSI is a server-side scripting language used primarily to include the contents of one file in another.

Web Services

1. ASP: Application Service Provider — An ASP is any business that provides online, Internet-delivered applications to customers.
2. AWS: Amazon Web Services — AWS are a collection of remote application services offered by Amazon.com.
3. RSS: Really Simple Syndication — RSS is an XML specification for publishing frequently updated web content to subscribers. RSS is the secret sauce behind blogging.
4. S3: Amazon Simple Storage Service — Amazon S3 is a storage solution that offers unlimited data stored for a small fee through a simple web service interface.
5. YUI: Yahoo! User Interface — The YUI library is an open-source JavaScript library for building rich interactive web applications.

Databases

1. CRUD: Create, Read, Update and Delete — CRUD are the four basic functions of any persistent storage system, most commonly a database system.
2. DBMS: Database Management System — A DB is a structured collection of data organized to allow for easy retrieval by computer programs using SQL.
3. SQL: Structured Query Language — SQL is a special programming language used to retrieve data from and modify relational database systems.

Servers and Hosting

1. CRON: Command Run ON — CRON is a scheduling program on most Unix system. It is used to schedule time-sensitive activities for software programs to perform.
2. IIS: Internet Information Services — IIS is a set of internet-based services for servers running Microsoft Windows.
3. VPS: Virtual Private Server — A VPS is a partition of a physical server that has the ability to run a separate operating system and reboot itself independently of other VPSs on the same physical server.

Protocols

1. FTP: File Transfer Protocol — FTP is a commonly used protocol for transferring files from one computer to another over a network.
2. HTTP: HyperText Transfer Protocol — HTTP is a communications protocol used for transferring data available on the Web.
3. HTTPS: Secure HypterText Transfer Protocol — HTTPS is a variation of HTTP used to specify that the data being transferred is/should be encrypted and secure.
4. SSH: Secure Shell — SSH is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged over a secure channel between two computers.
5. SSL: Secure Sockets Layer — SSL is a cryptographic protocol used for encrypting sensitive data while being sent through the Internet.
6. WAP: Wireless Application Protocol — WAP is an international standard for accessing Internet content on a wireless mobile device.

Standards and Accessibility

1. 508: Section 508 — Section 508 is an amendment to the Rehabilitation act of 1973 that requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. It is commonly used as a standard for accessible web sites.
2. W3C: World Wide Web Consortium — The W3C is the international standards organization for the Web.
3. WAI: Web Accessibility Initiative — The WAI is an initiative enacted by the W3C for improving the accessibility of web pages for people using software other than web browsers (e.g. screen readers).
4. WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — WCAG is a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the WAI.

Client-Side Scripting

1. AJAX: Asynchronous JavaScript And XML — AJAX is a web programming technique that uses JavaScript to transparently interact with a web server, eliminating the need to reload a web page to see changes.
2. DOM: Document Object Model — DOM is a standard object model for representing HTML and XML formats as objects.
3. JS/ECMAScript: JavaScript — JavaScript is a scripting language used for client-side (web browser) web development.

Development

1. CRAP: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity — CRAP is a design methodology applied to the design and layout of web pages.
2. CVS: Concurrent Versions System — CVS is a version control system that allows several developers to collaboratively work on a single set of code.
3. GUI: Graphical User Interface — A GUI is a computer interface that allows users to interact with the computer through graphical icons and windows, typically with the aid of a mouse.
4. SVN: Subversion — SVN is a version control system that allows several developers to collaboratively work on a single set of code.
5. WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get — WYSIWYG is used to describe web development applications in which the authoring environment closely resembles the final output of the program.

Graphics and Images

1. CMYK: Cyan Magenta Yellow Key — RGB is a subtractive color model used by computers to display various colors by subtracting different levels of cyan, magenta, and yellow.
2. FLA: Flash Authoring File — FLA files are the primary authoring output files of Adobe Flash
3. GIF: Graphics Interchange Format — GIF is a popular graphics format most commonly used for graphics in web sites.
4. JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group — JPEG is an image compression codec commonly used to encode pictures for the Web.
5. PNG: Portable Network Graphics — PNG is an image format that was developed to replace the aging GIF image format for web sites.
6. PSD: PhotoShop Document — PSD files are the primary authoring output files of Adobe Photoshop.
7. RGB: Red Green Blue — RGB is an additive color model used by computers to display various colors by combining different levels of red, green, or blue.
8. SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics — SVG is an XML markup language used to describe two dimensional vector graphics.
9. SWF: Small Web Format/ShockWave Flash — SWF is a proprietary vector graphics format used to create animations on web sites.

E-commerce

1. AVS: Address Verification System — AVS is a method of verifying the identity of a person using a credit card to make a purchase online.
2. CSC/CVV: Card Security Code/Card Verification Value — CSC is a security feature available on most major credit cards that is used to prevent credit card fraud.
3. MID: Merchant ID — A MID is a unique identifier assigned to companies selling goods and used for billing purposes.
4. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions — FAQ lists are a common support mechanism on many web sites that provides answers to questions that are commonly asked of the company.

Search Engine Optimization

1. CPC: Cost Per Click — CPC is the amount an advertiser pays every time a user clicks on one of their advertisements in a PPC campaign.
2. CPM: Cost Per 1000 Impressions — CPM is the amount an advertiser pays for every 1000 (or, roman numeral “M”) users who view their advertisement on a web page.
3. CTR: Click Through Rate/Ratio — CTR is a measure of the amount of users who click an advertisement as compared to the number of users who see the advertisement.
4. PPC: Pay Per Click — PPC is an advertising model used on the Web in which advertisers only pay when a user actually click their advertisement.
5. PR: PageRank — PageRank is an algorithm used to measure the value of a particular document relative to other documents in the same set. Commonly used by search engines to rank web site popularity.
6. SEO: Search Engine Optimization — SEO is the process of tweaking web sites so that they are more likely to be indexed higher in search engine results.
7. SERP: Search Engine Results Page — SERP is the listing of web pages returned by a search engine in response to a user search

Security

1. XSS: Cross-Site Scripting — XSS is a common web page security vulnerability where an attacker rigs a site they do not own to run malicious code.
2. CSRF: Cross-Site Request Forgery — CSRF is a common web page security vulnerability where an attacker poses as an authenticated user to execute actions.

Addressing

1. CNAME: Canonical Name — A CNAME is an alias of one hostname to another.
2. DNS: Domain Name System — DNS servers as the phone book of the Internet. It translates human-readable hostnames such as solosignal.com into numeric IP addresses used by networking equipment.
3. DTD: Document Type Definition — DTD is a document used to describe and specify the structure and organization of an XML document.
4. ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers — ICANN is a non-profit organization formed to oversee the management of domain names and IP addresses.
5. IP: Internet Protocol — IP is a protocol for transferring data across a packet-switched network.
6. SLD: Second-Level Domain — SLD is a domain directly below the TLD. For example. In “solosignal.com”, “solosignal” is the SLD and “.com” is the TLD.
7. TLD: Top-Level Domain — TLD is the last part of any Internet domain name. For example: .com, .net, and .org are all TLDs.
8. URL: Uniform Resource Locator — URLs are the addresses used to request files through the Web.
9. WWW: World Wide Web — The WWW is the network of interlinked hypertext documents available through the Internet.

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Web Stack Series Part 3: The Database

Parts 1 and 2 of our look at the Web Stack introduced us to the Physical Server and the Webserver Software. Part 3 of the series brings us to the second piece of software installed on the physical server: the Database.

Dynamic, database-driven web sites have become the gold standard on the Web. Sites are updated in real time, user-generated content fills ever page, custom-tailored data targets specific users, and data is changed on the fly - all thanks to the database. It is rare to find a website that doesn’t make use of a database in some way or another. The database has become the brain of the modern web site.

So what is a database? Let’s check in with our old pal Wikipedia for a quick and dirty definition:

In computing, a database can be defined as a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer so that a program can consult it to answer queries.

Though this may sound simplistic, the definition is spot on. A database is nothing more than a bunch of data (usually plain text) stored and indexed in a structured manner. This allows for specific data to be found quickly and painlessly. Perhaps an analogy is in order: A library is like a database - it is a central repository of books stored in a structured system (Dewey Decimal). This system makes it easy for a person to quickly find a specific book.

The larger and more complex sites on the internet typically store all of their content in a database and retrieve the appropriate data when necessary. The web page that is requested by the user is said to “query” the database for the appropriate data to be displayed. Databases can be queried using a special language called Structured Query Language or “SQL” (pronounced like “sequel”). SQL is simply a special type of language that makes it easy and intuitive to extract data from a database. There are people who spend their entire careers mastering SQL, although you can probably teach yourself the basics of SQL in about a month or two.

Here are a couple of things you should know about database systems:

• Just like a webserver, the database system is just another piece of software
  Database server software is installed on the physical server. Once installed, the database is turned on and left to run indefinitely in the background
• Database systems range in price from free (MySQL, PostgreSQL) to really, really, really expensive (Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server)
  The majority of small to medium sites on the Web today are run on MySQL. This is a natural consequence of it being free and easy to use. If you were to ask my opinion, I would always recommend MySQL, I love it.
• Database optimization is absolutely crucial if you want your web site to scale gracefully and handle high traffic loads
  Don’t be bashful about spending some money on a good developer who understands how to set up a database system properly. When your site explodes in popularity and handles all of the traffic without a hiccup, you will be thankful you did.

In the next part of this series, we will talk about the glue that connects the user, the webserver and the database all together. Make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss out!

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Web Stack Series Part 2: Webserver Software

Part 2 of The Web Stack Explained leads us to the webserver software. Webserver software basically serves as the interface for files stored on the server. Let’s start things of with a good, but rather stuffy definition of the word “webserver” from Wikipedia:

A computer program that is responsible for accepting HTTP requests from clients, which are known as Web browsers, and serving them HTTP responses along with optional data contents, which usually are Web pages such as HTML documents and linked objects (images, etc.).

Now, let’s break this down piece by piece:

• A computer program
  A webserver is a computer program, just the same as WinZip and Solitaire. Webservers can be downloaded and installed just like anything else you place on your computer. They are responsible for serving requests for websites, hence the term: web - server. Webserver software is usually run differently than the programs you are familiar with. Since your server can’t predict when someone wants to view your web page, the webserver software must be constantly listening for requests. As a result, the webserver software is started up and then left to quietly run in the background indefinitely. When a request is received, the webserver processes the request, fetches the pages and files that were requested, and sends them all back to the person doing the requesting.
• HTTP Requests
  HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol - but you don’t care. And quite frankly you don’t need to care. Just think of HTTP as the ether that lets computers talk to each other over the Web. Requests are messages sent by users to your webserver. Whenever someone types a URL in their web browser, they are making a request to the webserver associated with that URL. The webserver catches this request and then acts accordingly.
• Clients, or Web Browsers
  If “server” refers to webservers, then “client” refers to web browsers. Web browsers are the software programs used to surf the web. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are the two most popular these days. Web browsers are translators: they translate human requests for web sites into requests that webserver software can process. When the webserver processes the request and sends back the appropriate information, the user’s web browser displays it in all its glory.
• HTTP Responses
  HTTP responses are what webservers send back to web browsers after a request is made. These responses typically contain the web pages, images and files that were requested by the user.
• Web pages
  The final pieces of the puzzle. Web pages are the files stored on the server that users request. These are typically text files full of HTML and other markup. Your web browser is designed to translate these files into the correctly formatted web pages that you view.

There are several brands of webserver software available, but the two most popular are Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft Internet Information Services server. Although the primary responsibility of the webserver software is to fetch and return the appropriate website files, there is another function: running other software required by the files themselves. This other software is typically a script engine, and we will talk about that in our next Web Stack Series installment!

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Web Stack Series Part 1: The Physical Server

This is the first installment of our first series: The Web Stack Explained. Today we are going to talk about the first level of the stack: the physical server.

Techies love talking about servers and networking infrastructure. Let me tell you a little secret: a server is just a computer; no more, no less. In fact, the computer you are using right now is just as well suited to be a server as any “real” server. Servers are just beefed up computers that are hooked into really fast and reliable networks. Plunk your computer on the same network and install the appropriate software and no one would know the difference. HAL 9000 couldn’t hold a candle to the speed demon sitting under your desk.

By definition, a server (or server computer) is a type of computer that is built specifically for running applications and software that require large amounts of processing power in high-availability environments. What does that mean? Servers are computers on steroids; they are really fast and really reliable. Head on over to Wikipedia for a more detailed definition of a server.

Web servers are basically responsible for two things: storing website files and running the webserver software. Often, large websites have lots of files (think of all those photos that Flickr stores) and must process millions of requests per minute. As a consequence, the server must have lots of storage space and processing power. In many cases, several servers will be linked together to form a “cluster” to accommodate these large storage and processing requirements. Clusters are essentially a bunch computers working together as if they were one; they simply distribute the task of storing and processing websites across themselves to keep up with the workload. We’ll go over the webserver software in more detail later, but for now you just need to know that it is an application running on the server that handles requests for the website.

Although all of the individual components inside of a server are similar to what you can find in your desktop computer, the server hardware is typically more powerful, or is installed in greater quantities. For example, these days you can expect the average desktop computer to have anywhere from 512 megabytes to 2 gigabytes of memory. In comparison, server computers usually have more than 4 gigabytes of memory installed. Additionally, servers typically have faster processors than standard desktop computers.

When your users request a page from your website, the server is what gets the party started. The webserver software (which will talk in more detail about later) running on the server computer receives the request, processes the request, and then returns the appropriate files, usually in the form of an HTML web page. Think of the server as the permanent home of your website files. It’s that simple!

So how do you get a server? For most, the easiest route is using a third party service called a web host. Web hosting is a topic all in itself, but basically a web host is a way of leasing space on mega-servers instead of buying and maintaining your own server. It’s really easy to find cheap (but quality) web hosting these days, but I’ll discuss that in a later post.

In the next part of this series, I will be talking specifically about the webserver software that processes user requests. Stay tuned!

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Solo Signal Series: The Web Stack Explained

Websites, at their core, are very simple things: a single file of plain text and markup that tells the user’s browser what to display. Sometimes there are hyperlinks, images and forms included on those pages, but that is typically as complex as the majority of websites ever get. So why does it cost so much to have a quality website developed? What takes place behind the curtains of a website?

As a visitor to a web page, you only see the final output of a series of tasks that must be completed to generate that page. I refer to the components that are responsible for executing these tasks as the Web Stack. The web stack contains approximately 8 levels, each essential for storing, generating and delivering any standard web page to the end user. Over the next two weeks we will go into detail on each of these pieces of the stack and explain how they relate to the overall web development process.

At the end of this series you will have an understanding of all the back-end processes involved in delivering web content to your users. I will also provide a graphic that visually represents the stack and shows exactly how all the pieces link to each other. This knowledge will be invaluable for you as you take on the task of architecting your own website (whether your build it yourself or outsource the work).

The Web Stack

1. Physical Server and Infrastructure
2. Webserver Software
3. Database Management System
4. Business Logic Programming
5. HTML and Markup
6. Cascading Style Sheets
7. Graphic Design
8. Client-side Scripting

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