Hosting Glossary
TLS (Transport Layer Security)
What TLS actually means, minus the jargon — with the example that makes it obvious.
The short answer
TLS is the cryptographic protocol actually securing HTTPS connections — the modern successor whose predecessor's name, SSL, everyone still uses.
The sections below unpack it properly — how it works, why a site owner should care, and a concrete example of it in the wild.
0
Jargon left unexplained
100+
Linked definitions
Real
Platform examples
Free
To read, obviously
The handshake negotiates identity (certificate verification) and session keys; the connection then encrypts symmetrically. Versions matter: TLS 1.2 and 1.3 are current, with 1.3 faster and stricter; older versions are retired attack surface.
Beyond the web, TLS secures mail submission, APIs and most modern protocols — the same machinery under different ports.
The analogy version
The diplomatic protocol behind the sealed envelope — identity papers checked, a private cipher agreed, and only then does the actual conversation begin.
Hold onto that picture and most of the documentation you'll ever read about it becomes considerably less mysterious.
The practical stakes
TLS version hygiene is invisible until it isn't — old versions trigger compliance failures and client warnings; on managed hosting the currency is handled, on a VPS it's your configuration line.
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.
What it looks like in practice
A modern browser and server complete a TLS 1.3 handshake in one round trip — identity proven and channel encrypted before the first byte of the actual page moves.
Multiply that example across every site on the internet and you have the concept's entire job description.
The HostingAlly angle
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: SSL Certificate, HTTPS, Encryption and SMTP.
Renewal prices match signup prices, so the year-two invoice is the most boring email you'll get from us.
Jargon is a service failure
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.
Business email on your own domain is included, not sold back as an add-on.
- 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.
Analogies that stick
Each concept gets a picture you'll remember at the moment you actually need it.
Honest about what you can skip
Most terms are recognise-level, not operate-level — the glossary says which is which.
Plain English first
Every term defined for site owners, not for other sysadmins — jargon translated, not restated.
Grounded in a real platform
Examples reference the hosting you'd actually use, not abstract diagrams.
Linked, not siloed
Related terms cross-reference, so one lookup becomes a working understanding.
Getting Started
How to get going
- 1
Spot it in your own setup
The fastest way to learn a hosting term is to find it in your own panel — five minutes of looking beats an hour of reading.
- 2
Check the defaults
Confirm how your account has this configured — usually correctly by default here, and now you'll know rather than guess.
- 3
Follow the related terms
Concepts travel in packs — SSL Certificate, HTTPS and Encryption complete this one's picture, and each is a two-minute read away.
Included
What's covered on our plans
- Renewal prices that match signup prices
- Daily automatic backups with self-service restores
- LiteSpeed server-level caching
- DDoS protection at the network level
- No setup fees, ever
- SSH, Git and Composer access on developer-friendly plans
- One-click installer for WordPress and 400+ apps
- Free website migration handled by our team
- Free SSL certificate on every plan, renewed automatically
- Email accounts on your own domain
FAQ
Your questions, answered
SSL or TLS — which do I actually have?
TLS — actual SSL protocols were retired long ago; the acronym survives as branding ('SSL certificate'). Anything current negotiates TLS 1.2+; the terminology is nostalgia, the protocol isn't.
Do I need to configure TLS versions myself?
On managed hosting, no — current versions and sane ciphers are platform duty. On a VPS you set them (modern defaults in nginx/Apache configs); scanning tools grade your choices publicly.
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.
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.
Where is your company based?
HostingAlly is a trading name of Bohzo Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales — a real, verifiable business with published terms under English law, which is worth checking about any host before you hand them your domain.
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.
Is SSL really included at no cost?
On every plan, with no exceptions — certificates are issued automatically when your domain points to us and renew themselves before expiry. The encryption is identical to paid DV certificates; paid tiers exist only for wildcard convenience or organisation-level validation.
Keep exploring
SMTP
SMTP is the protocol that sends email — from your client to your mail server, and between servers across th…
SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate is the credential that enables encrypted HTTPS connections and vouches that the server h…
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