Web Hosting & Internet Full Forms (CDN, FTP, URL, BCC, DNS, SSL, VPS)
FTP is File Transfer Protocol, URL is Uniform Resource Locator, BCC is Blind Carbon Copy, CDN is Content Delivery Network, DNS is Domain Name System, SSL is Secure Sockets Layer and VPS is Virtual Private Server. The tables below expand the other hosting, email, security and domain abbreviations by job.
A reference for site owners, students and support teams who meet hosting abbreviations in control panels, invoices and error messages.
knowledge
- Read time
- 5 min
- Sections
- 8
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
What are the full forms of FTP, URL, BCC, CDN, DNS, SSL and VPS?
FTP is File Transfer Protocol, URL is Uniform Resource Locator, BCC is Blind Carbon Copy, CDN is Content Delivery Network, DNS is Domain Name System, SSL is Secure Sockets Layer and VPS is Virtual Private Server. These seven are the abbreviations people search most often; the sections below group the rest by the job they do in a hosting account.
| Short form | Full form | What it names |
|---|---|---|
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol | Uploading and downloading site files between your computer and the server |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator | The full address of one page or file, such as https://example.com/contact/ |
| BCC | Blind Carbon Copy | An email copy whose address the other recipients cannot see |
| CDN | Content Delivery Network | Cache servers that deliver copies of files from a location near the visitor |
| DNS | Domain Name System | The directory that turns a domain name into a server's IP address |
| SSL | Secure Sockets Layer | The older name for the encryption behind the browser padlock; today's certificates use TLS |
| VPS | Virtual Private Server | A virtual machine with its own operating system on a shared physical server |
Website and DNS full forms
The web and DNS abbreviations describe how a browser finds and loads a site: the name (TLD, DNS, TTL), the address (IP, URL) and the language of the exchange (HTTP, HTML).
| Short form | Full form | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| WWW | World Wide Web | The www hostname in front of many domains |
| HTTP / HTTPS | HyperText Transfer Protocol / HTTP Secure | The scheme at the start of every URL; HTTPS is HTTP over TLS |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language | The code every web page is written in |
| URI | Uniform Resource Identifier | The wider family that includes URLs; not a delivery network |
| IP | Internet Protocol | The numeric server address (IPv4 or IPv6) that DNS returns |
| TLD | Top-Level Domain | The last part of a domain: .com, .in, .org |
| ccTLD / gTLD | country-code TLD / generic TLD | .in is a ccTLD; .com is a gTLD |
| TTL | Time To Live | Seconds a DNS answer may be cached before it is checked again |
| IDN | Internationalised Domain Name | Domains in non-Latin scripts, such as .भारत |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider | Your broadband or mobile network company |
How the lookup works is covered in what DNS is, and the record types (A, CNAME, MX, TXT) in DNS records explained.
What does CDN stand for, and what is a CDN used for?
CDN stands for Content Delivery Network, sometimes written content distribution network; it is a set of cache servers in many locations that deliver copies of a site's images, CSS, JavaScript, fonts and video from a point close to the visitor. Each cache location is called a POP, or Point of Presence.
A CDN is not web hosting. The host stores the site, runs PHP and the database and handles mail; the CDN only keeps reusable copies. Remove the CDN and pages still load from the host, usually more slowly; cancel the host and the CDN soon has nothing fresh to serve. DNS is the third, separate piece: it points the hostname at the CDN, usually through a CNAME record, but a DNS record caches nothing by itself.
The meaning does not change in a CSS, Bootstrap, React or AWS context. A stylesheet loaded from a hostname containing “cdn” is simply a library file served from another company's edge servers. Edge caching, cache hits and misses are explained in what a CDN is.
SSL, TLS and website security full forms
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor TLS (Transport Layer Security) encrypt traffic between browser and server; the related abbreviations describe certificate types and the attacks hosting protects against. All SSL versions are deprecated, so “SSL certificate” today always means a TLS certificate.
| Short form | Full form | Meaning in hosting |
|---|---|---|
| TLS | Transport Layer Security | The encryption protocol behind HTTPS today |
| DV / OV / EV | Domain / Organisation / Extended Validation | How much the certificate authority checks before issuing a certificate |
| CA | Certificate Authority | The company that issues certificates, such as Sectigo or Let's Encrypt |
| CSR | Certificate Signing Request | The file generated on the server to order a certificate |
| DNSSEC | Domain Name System Security Extensions | Digital signatures that stop forged DNS answers |
| DDoS | Distributed Denial of Service | A flood of traffic from many machines meant to take a site offline |
| WAF | Web Application Firewall | A filter that blocks malicious web requests before they reach the site |
| 2FA | Two-Factor Authentication | A second login step, such as an OTP, on top of the password |
Certificate types are compared in what an SSL certificate is, with a Hindi version at SSL क्या है.
FTP, SFTP, SSH and file-access full forms
FTP, SFTP and FTPS are three different ways to move files to a server, and SSH (Secure Shell) is the encrypted login that SFTP runs over. The expansions are often confused, so the table spells out exactly what each one is.
| Short form | Full form | Default port | Encrypted |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol | 21 | No |
| FTPS | FTP Secure (FTP over TLS) | 21 (explicit) or 990 (implicit) | Yes |
| SFTP | SSH File Transfer Protocol | 22 | Yes |
| SSH | Secure Shell | 22 | Yes |
| RDP | Remote Desktop Protocol | 3389 | Yes |
SFTP is not “FTP with security added”; it is a separate protocol inside SSH. The difference is explained in FTP vs SFTP, and port choices in SFTP port number.
Email full forms: SMTP, IMAP, POP3, MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC
SMTP sends email, IMAP and POP3 fetch it, MX records say which server receives it, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC prove that mail claiming to be from your domain really is.
| Short form | Full form | Job |
|---|---|---|
| SMTP | Simple Mail Transfer Protocol | Sends mail between servers and from your app or phone |
| IMAP | Internet Message Access Protocol | Reads mail while keeping it on the server, synced across devices |
| POP3 | Post Office Protocol version 3 | Downloads mail to one device |
| MX | Mail Exchanger (record) | DNS record naming the server that receives a domain's mail |
| SPF | Sender Policy Framework | Lists the servers allowed to send for your domain |
| DKIM | DomainKeys Identified Mail | Signs each message so receivers can verify it |
| DMARC | Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance | Tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM fails |
| CC / BCC | Carbon Copy / Blind Carbon Copy | Visible and hidden copies of a message |
Each protocol has its own guide: SMTP, POP3 vs IMAP and DKIM.
Server, hosting panel and domain-admin full forms
Server and panel abbreviations describe what a hosting plan contains (CPU, RAM, NVMe, KVM) and the tools used to run it (WHM, CMS, API), while EPP, ICANN and NIXI belong to domain administration.
| Short form | Full form | Meaning in hosting |
|---|---|---|
| CPU / vCPU | Central Processing Unit / virtual CPU | Processor; a vCPU is a scheduled share of a physical core |
| RAM | Random Access Memory | Working memory for PHP, the database and caches |
| SSD / NVMe | Solid State Drive / Non-Volatile Memory Express | Flash storage; NVMe is the faster interface |
| KVM | Kernel-based Virtual Machine | The Linux hypervisor many VPS plans use |
| RAID | Redundant Array of Independent Disks | Several disks combined so one failure does not lose data |
| LAMP | Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP | The classic stack most shared hosting runs |
| PHP | PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor | The language WordPress is written in (a recursive acronym) |
| SQL | Structured Query Language | The language databases such as MySQL understand |
| CMS | Content Management System | Software such as WordPress for editing a site without code |
| WHM | Web Host Manager | The admin panel above cPanel, used by resellers and server owners |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement | The written uptime and support commitment |
| EPP | Extensible Provisioning Protocol | How registrars talk to registries; the transfer “EPP code” |
| ICANN | Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers | The body that accredits gTLD registrars |
| NIXI | National Internet Exchange of India | The registry for .in and .भारत |
For the panel itself, see what cPanel is; for virtual servers, what VPS hosting is; and for domain locks during transfers, what registrar lock is.
Frequently asked questions
Is SSL the same as TLS?
TLS is the successor to SSL. Every SSL version is deprecated and switched off in modern browsers, so certificates sold as “SSL” actually secure TLS connections. The old name stays because buyers and control panels still use it.
Does SFTP stand for Secure File Transfer Protocol?
It is often written that way, but the formal name is SSH File Transfer Protocol, because it runs inside an SSH session on port 22. FTP made secure with TLS is a different protocol, called FTPS.
What is the full form of CDN in a Bootstrap or jQuery link?
It is still Content Delivery Network. The link loads the library from another provider's cache servers instead of from your own hosting account, so the file arrives from a server near the visitor.
What is the full form of WHOIS?
WHOIS has no expansion; it is simply read as “who is”, the question the lookup answers about a domain's registrar, dates and owner. Its modern replacement for gTLDs is RDAP, the Registration Data Access Protocol.
What does VPS mean in hosting?
VPS means Virtual Private Server: one physical server divided into virtual machines, each with its own operating system, reserved RAM and root access. WebJi® VPS plans are listed from ₹499 a month before 18% GST; checkout confirms the current price.
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
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