Cheat sheet: Where a back end runs
The 27 terms of this lesson, part by part, with the French word a team in France would use.
1. Four ways to run a back end
- Serverserveur
- a computer that stays connected to the internet, sends pages to browsers and keeps the data that people share.
- Hosting providerhébergeur
- the company that rents you the servers where a site is stored, such as OVH or Netlify.
- Hosting platformplateforme d'hébergement, PaaS
- a service that runs your back end's code for you, restarts it and updates the system, such as Render or Heroku.
- Serverless functionfonction serverless
- a small piece of back-end code that runs only when something calls it, billed for each call, such as at AWS Lambda.
- Back end as a serviceBaaS, backend as a service
- a ready-made back end that you rent, with a database, logins and file storage, such as Firebase or Supabase.
2. A server of your own
- VPSserveur privé virtuel, VPS
- a share of a powerful machine in a data centre, rented by the month, that you manage as if it were your own server.
- Data centrecentre de données, datacenter
- a building full of servers, where hosting providers keep their customers' sites and data.
- Security updatemise à jour de sécurité
- a new version of a piece of software that fixes a weakness attackers could use.
- Maintenance contractcontrat de maintenance
- an agreement where a provider looks after a site for a fixed yearly price and promises how fast it will react.
3. A platform
- Hosting platformplateforme d'hébergement, PaaS
- a service that runs your back end's code for you, restarts it and updates the system, such as Render or Heroku.
- Free planoffre gratuite
- a free level of an online service, with limits on how much you can use it.
- Subscriptionabonnement
- a fixed price paid every month or every year to use a service.
4. Serverless functions
- Serverless functionfonction serverless
- a small piece of back-end code that runs only when something calls it, billed for each call, such as at AWS Lambda.
- Pay-per-usepaiement à l'usage
- a price that grows with each use of a service, such as each AI answer, map view or text message sent.
- Cold startdémarrage à froid
- the short wait when a serverless function is called after a quiet period, while its code starts.
5. A back end as a service
- Back end as a serviceBaaS, backend as a service
- a ready-made back end that you rent, with a database, logins and file storage, such as Firebase or Supabase.
- FirebaseFirebase
- a Google service that rents you a ready-made back end, with a database, logins and file storage.
- SupabaseSupabase
- an online service that rents you a ready-made back end, with a database, logins and file storage.
- Security rulesrègles de sécurité
- rules kept at a service such as Firebase that decide who can read or change each piece of data.
- Lock-indépendance au fournisseur
- the situation where leaving a tool is hard, because your site and data only work inside it.
6. What each costs as use grows
- Pay-per-usepaiement à l'usage
- a price that grows with each use of a service, such as each AI answer, map view or text message sent.
- Spending limitplafond de dépenses
- a maximum amount that a service may charge you each month, which you set in your account.
- Maintenancemaintenance
- the regular work that keeps a site working after launch, such as updates, fixes and renewals.
7. What to ask
- Hosting providerhébergeur
- the company that rents you the servers where a site is stored, such as OVH or Netlify.
- Lock-indépendance au fournisseur
- the situation where leaving a tool is hard, because your site and data only work inside it.
- Spending limitplafond de dépenses
- a maximum amount that a service may charge you each month, which you set in your account.
- GDPRRGPD
- the European law on personal data, which applies as soon as a site collects a name or an email.
Web Technologies · Back ends · wt.thomasjuldo.com/course/back-ends/where-a-back-end-runs