Infrastructure Definitions
Network and server infrastructure terms including SSL/TLS, DNS, CDN, WAF, firewalls, and the OSI model.
What is a CDN (Content Delivery Network)?
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed network of servers that caches and delivers web content from locations closest to users, improving performance, reliability, and security.
What is an SSL/TLS Certificate?
An SSL/TLS certificate is a digital credential that authenticates a website's identity and enables encrypted communication between a web browser and a server using the Secure Sockets Layer or Transport Layer Security protocol.
What is a Reverse Proxy?
A reverse proxy is a server that sits in front of one or more backend servers, intercepting client requests and forwarding them to the appropriate server, while also providing security, caching, and load distribution benefits.
What is a VPN (Virtual Private Network)?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates an encrypted tunnel between a user's device and a remote server, protecting internet traffic from interception and masking the user's IP address for enhanced privacy and security.
What is Cloud Security (AWS/Azure/GCP)?
Cloud security encompasses the technologies, policies, and best practices for protecting data, applications, and infrastructure hosted on cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP from threats, unauthorized access, and compliance violations.
What is Container Security (Docker)?
Container security encompasses the practices, tools, and policies used to protect containerized applications throughout their lifecycle, from securing container images and runtime environments to orchestration platforms like Docker and Kubernetes.
What is DNS (Domain Name System)?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet's hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names into numerical IP addresses, enabling browsers and applications to locate and connect to web servers.
What is Load Balancing?
Load balancing is the process of distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers to ensure no single server is overwhelmed, improving application availability, reliability, and performance.
What is Server Hardening?
Server hardening is the process of reducing a server's attack surface by eliminating unnecessary software, services, and access points, and applying security configurations to protect against unauthorized access and exploitation.
What is SSH (Secure Shell)?
SSH (Secure Shell) is a cryptographic network protocol that provides secure encrypted communication between two systems over an untrusted network, commonly used for remote server administration and secure file transfers.