Words we use

If a screen used a word you did not recognise, it is probably here.

The basics

Server — a computer that stays switched on in a data centre and runs your website or app. Also called a VPS, an instance, a box, or a droplet depending on who you rent it from. They all mean the same thing here.

VPS — Virtual Private Server. A slice of a bigger physical computer, rented to you. What most people mean by "my server".

IP address — the numeric address of your server, like 167.99.12.34. Your hosting company shows it in your dashboard.

Hostname / domain — a name that points at an IP address, like example.com. You can use one instead of the IP if it already points at that server.

SSH — the standard way to log into a server remotely. The thing DevOps Agent does for you so you do not have to open a terminal.

Port 22 — the "door number" SSH normally uses. Leave it at 22 unless your host told you otherwise.

Root — the all-powerful user on a Linux server. Most new servers give you the root login. On Ubuntu machines at AWS the equivalent user is called ubuntu.

sudo — the command a non-root user runs to do admin things. If a login "has sudo", it can install and restart things.

Logging in

Password login — you type a password to get in. Simple, and fine for most people.

SSH key — a pair of files that replace the password. The private key stays with you and proves who you are; the public key (the one ending .pub) sits on the server. If you were sent a .pem file, that is a private key. Full explanation: SSH keys.

Passphrase — an optional password on the key file itself. Most keys do not have one.

Things running on the server

Service (or unit, or daemon) — a program the server is supposed to keep running: your web server, your database, your app. Managed on the Services tab.

nginx / Apache — the web server. The program that answers visitors and hands them your site. See Nginx.

PM2 — a tool that keeps Node.js apps running and restarts them if they crash. See PM2.

Docker — a way of packing an app and everything it needs into a "container" that runs the same anywhere. See Docker.

Container — one running copy of a Docker image. Think of it as a small, disposable computer inside your server.

Cron / scheduled job — a task the server runs on a timetable, such as a nightly backup. See Scheduled.

Package — a piece of software installed from your Linux distribution's shop. Updating packages is how you get security fixes. See Packages.

Reboot required — an update touched something that only a restart can finish. Until you restart, the old version is still running.

Measurements

Load average — roughly, how many tasks are queued waiting for the processor. Compare it against the number of CPU cores: load 4 on a 4-core machine is fully busy, not broken.

Memory (RAM) — the server's short-term workspace. Running out makes things crash.

Swap — emergency memory that lives on the disk. Slow, but better than crashing.

Inodes — the number of files a disk can hold, separate from how many gigabytes it can hold. A disk can be "full" of inodes with space left.

Uptime % — of all the checks we made, the share that succeeded.

SSL / TLS certificate — what makes the padlock and https:// work. It expires, usually every 90 days, and the site breaks in visitors' browsers when it does. See Certificate expiry.

In this app

Project (or account) — the box that holds your servers, monitors and integrations. Projects explained.

Workspace — everything you own here: your projects, your team logins, your AI credit.

Account ID — the 12-digit number a team member types to sign into your workspace. Found in Settings → Account.

Read mode / Execute mode — the assistant's safety switch. Read can only look; Execute may change things, asking first. The safety switch.

Guided task — a ready-made job for the assistant, like "Set up free SSL", that asks you a few questions and then follows a known-good procedure. Guided tasks.

Credit — what the AI assistant spends when it answers. Shown as a meter in the chat. Models and credit.

Activity log — the permanent, unedited record of what was done to a server through DevOps Agent. Activity.

AWS words

Region — which part of the world your AWS resources live in, such as us-east-1 (Virginia) or ap-south-1 (Mumbai).

EC2 — Amazon's servers.

S3 — Amazon's file storage. Files live in buckets.

IAM — Amazon's users and permissions system.

Access key / secret key — the username and password of a robot user in AWS. Connect AWS.

CloudWatch — where AWS keeps logs and alarms.

CloudFormation — describing your AWS setup in a file so it can be rebuilt. A stack is one deployed copy of such a file.

GuardDuty / Inspector — Amazon's two security scanners. One watches for suspicious behaviour, the other looks for known weaknesses.

Cost Explorer — the AWS service that reports what you are spending. Where the Cost screen gets its numbers.