Definitions

This glossary defines key terms and project phases used in web development engagements at 1-WEB-DEVELOPMENT.COM. Understanding these terms will help you participate more effectively in project planning conversations and review deliverables with confidence.

Project Phases

Discovery Phase: The initial phase of a project in which the development team meets with the client to understand their goals, audience, existing systems, and constraints. The discovery phase involves stakeholder interviews, competitive research, and a review of any existing materials (brand guidelines, legacy systems, content). The output is typically a discovery summary document that informs the formal project definition. No code is written during this phase.
Definition Phase: The formal specification of project requirements, scope, timeline, and budget. During the definition phase, all functional and technical requirements are documented in writing, wireframes or site maps may be produced, and the project proposal with a fixed-price quote is prepared. Both the client and developer sign off on the definition document before development begins. Changes to scope after sign-off are handled through a formal change order process.
RAD — Rapid Application Development: An iterative development methodology focused on rapid prototyping and continuous feedback rather than extensive upfront planning. In RAD, working software is produced in short cycles and shown to stakeholders for review and input. Each cycle incorporates feedback from the previous one, allowing the application to evolve toward the right solution through collaboration rather than a single large specification document. RAD is particularly well-suited to projects where requirements are not fully known at the outset or are expected to change.
Implementation Phase: The phase in which actual development, testing, and deployment of the application takes place. This includes writing code, building the database schema, integrating third-party services (payment gateways, APIs), conducting quality assurance testing, and launching the application to the production environment. The implementation phase concludes with user acceptance testing (UAT) and client sign-off on the completed deliverable.

Technology Terms

E-Commerce (Electronic Commerce): The buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet. E-commerce encompasses online storefronts, shopping cart systems, payment processing, order management, and fulfillment tracking. An e-commerce site requires a product catalog, a secure checkout process, integration with a payment gateway, and typically an Internet Merchant Account to accept credit card payments.
E-Business (Electronic Business): A broader concept than e-commerce, e-business refers to the use of Internet and digital technologies to conduct all business processes — not just buying and selling. This includes customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management, internal operations automation, business-to-business (B2B) communications, human resources, and financial management conducted through digital systems.
ASP — Active Server Pages: A server-side scripting technology developed by Microsoft for building dynamic, interactive web applications. ASP scripts (written in VBScript or JScript) run on the web server, not in the browser, and generate HTML that is sent to the client. ASP is included with Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) version 3.0 and later. It enables database connectivity via ADO (ActiveX Data Objects), user authentication, session management, and server-side business logic — capabilities that static HTML pages cannot provide.
CGI — Common Gateway Interface: A standard protocol that allows web servers to execute external programs (scripts) and return their output as web pages. CGI scripts are commonly written in Perl, C, or shell script, and are widely used on Unix/Linux web servers for form processing, dynamic content generation, and database interaction. CGI scripts run as separate processes on the server for each request, making them more resource-intensive than newer alternatives like ASP but universally supported across web server platforms.
SSL — Secure Sockets Layer: A cryptographic protocol that establishes an encrypted link between a web server and a browser, ensuring that all data transmitted between them remains private and integral. SSL is the technology behind HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). When SSL is active, a padlock icon appears in the browser's address bar. SSL is essential for any page that transmits sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal data. SSL certificates are issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs) and must be installed on the web server.
Database: An organized collection of structured data stored and accessed electronically. In the context of web development, a database stores dynamic content such as product catalogs, user accounts, orders, and application data. Web applications retrieve and update database records using SQL (Structured Query Language). Common database platforms used in web development include Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft Access. A Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) organizes data into tables with defined relationships between them.
CMS — Content Management System: A software application that allows non-technical users to create, edit, and publish web content through a browser-based interface, without requiring knowledge of HTML or programming. A CMS separates content from presentation, storing text and media in a database and applying design templates at display time. CMS solutions range from custom-built ASP applications to packaged products. A CMS is ideal for sites with frequently changing content such as news sites, product catalogs, and corporate intranets.
Domain Name: A human-readable address used to identify a web site or other Internet resource (e.g., 1-web-development.com). Domain names are mapped to IP addresses through the Domain Name System (DNS). Domain names must be registered through an accredited domain registrar and renewed periodically (typically annually). The choice of domain name affects branding, memorability, and search engine visibility. Common top-level domains (TLDs) include .com, .net, .org, and country-code TLDs such as .us or .uk.
Hosting (Web Hosting): The service of providing server space and Internet connectivity for a web site so that it is accessible to visitors around the world. A web hosting provider maintains the physical servers, network infrastructure, power, and cooling required to keep sites online 24/7. Hosting plans vary by disk space, bandwidth, server software (IIS vs. Apache), database support, and uptime guarantees. Shared hosting places multiple sites on one server; dedicated hosting provides an entire server for one client. 1-WEB-DEVELOPMENT.COM offers Windows-based IIS hosting with ASP and SQL Server support. See our Site Hosting page for details.

Have a Term Not Listed Here?

If you encounter a technical term in our proposals or conversations that is not defined here, please contact us and we will be happy to explain it in plain language.