Hosting Glossary
SFTP
What SFTP actually means, minus the jargon — with the example that makes it obvious.
The short answer
SFTP is secure file transfer over the SSH protocol — encrypted end to end, using your SSH credentials, through the same drag-and-drop clients.
Below: the fuller explanation, an analogy that makes it stick, why it matters in practice, and where you'll actually meet it.
0
Jargon left unexplained
100+
Linked definitions
Real
Platform examples
Free
To read, obviously
Despite the name it isn't FTP-with-a-wrapper but a distinct protocol within SSH — one port (22), full encryption of credentials and content, and key-based authentication where configured.
It's the professional default for server file work: everything FileZilla-style workflows offer, without the plaintext exposure that makes classic FTP a liability.
A picture that makes SFTP stick
The armoured courier version of the removal van — same loading procedure, same destinations, contents and paperwork sealed against every curious eye on the route.
Analogies simplify, of course — but this one holds up well enough to reason with, and reasoning is the point of a glossary.
The practical stakes
It's the transfer method you should be using — supported on all our plans, compatible with every major client, and immune to the credential-sniffing that plain FTP invites on shared networks.
That's the test for every technical term, incidentally — not 'do I understand it fully' but 'do I know when it's the answer to my problem'. For this one, now you do.
A concrete example
A developer on café wifi pushes site files via SFTP without a second thought — the network's other patrons see only encrypted noise, credentials included.
Multiply that example across every site on the internet and you have the concept's entire job description.
Where you'll meet it on our platform
On our hosting this mostly takes care of itself — the platform applies the sensible defaults, and the panel exposes the controls when you want them. The concepts worth knowing next: FTP, SSH, Document Root and Encryption.
Business email on your own domain is included, not sold back as an add-on.
A glossary from people who answer tickets
Every confusing term in hosting eventually becomes a support ticket — so we defined the hundred most common ones properly, once, in the plain English we'd use on the phone.
Renewal prices match signup prices, so the year-two invoice is the most boring email you'll get from us.
- 100+ terms, plain English
- Analogies and real examples
- Cross-linked related concepts
- Written by the support desk
Why HostingAlly
What you get with every plan
The practical stakes named
Not just what it is — when it's the answer to a problem you're having.
Honest about what you can skip
Most terms are recognise-level, not operate-level — the glossary says which is which.
Grounded in a real platform
Examples reference the hosting you'd actually use, not abstract diagrams.
Analogies that stick
Each concept gets a picture you'll remember at the moment you actually need it.
Linked, not siloed
Related terms cross-reference, so one lookup becomes a working understanding.
Plain English first
Every term defined for site owners, not for other sysadmins — jargon translated, not restated.
Getting Started
How to get going
- 1
Spot it in your own setup
Open your control panel and find where this concept lives — seeing it attached to your own site is what converts definition into understanding.
- 2
Check the defaults
Our platform ships sane defaults for this — verify rather than assume, and you'll know your setup instead of hoping about it.
- 3
Follow the related terms
Concepts travel in packs — FTP, SSH and Document Root complete this one's picture, and each is a two-minute read away.
Included
What's covered on our plans
- Per-site PHP version selection
- Email accounts on your own domain
- No setup fees, ever
- Renewal prices that match signup prices
- NVMe SSD storage as standard
- LiteSpeed server-level caching
- SSH, Git and Composer access on developer-friendly plans
- Free website migration handled by our team
- 99.9% uptime commitment, monitored around the clock
- 24/7 support from real people
FAQ
Your questions, answered
How do I connect via SFTP?
In your client, protocol SFTP, host your domain or server name, port 22, your hosting credentials — or SSH keys for passwordless. Functionally identical to FTP workflows from there, minus the exposure.
Why does SFTP use the SSH port?
Because it's an SSH subsystem — one hardened service providing shell, transfers and tunnels together. One port to secure and firewall, one credential system, no separate FTP daemon to maintain.
What happens if I outgrow my plan?
You upgrade in place — plan changes apply from your client area without migrations or downtime, and our range runs from small shared plans through VPS to dedicated servers, so growth is an account change rather than a new-host project.
Do prices go up at renewal?
No — the price you sign up at is the price you renew at. We don't run teaser-rate economics, so there's no year-two ambush to plan around, and your bookkeeping can rely on the number staying put.
Will you move my existing website for free?
Yes — open a ticket with your current host's access details and we handle the whole move: files, databases, email and configuration, verified by you before DNS switches. The old site keeps serving until the new copy takes over, so visitors never see a gap.
Can I host more than one website on a plan?
On the Pro tier and above, yes — multiple sites with their own domains, email and SSL under one account. If the extra sites belong to clients rather than you, reseller hosting gives each one proper isolation instead.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes — try the hosting properly and if it doesn't fit, the refund process is a request, not a retention gauntlet. Domain registrations are the one standard carve-out, since registries make those non-refundable the moment they're placed.
Keep exploring
Encryption
Encryption scrambles data so only holders of the right key can read it — the mathematics beneath HTTPS, SSH…
FTP
FTP is the veteran file-transfer protocol for moving files between your computer and a server — now properl…
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