Cloud Computing Glossary
Your comprehensive guide to cloud infrastructure, DevOps, and platform engineering terminology.
72 terms shown
A
API Credential
An API credential is authentication information that identifies and authorizes a user or application to access cloud services programmatically through an API.
SecurityRead definitionApplication Credential
An application credential is a scoped authentication token in OpenStack that allows applications to authenticate to cloud APIs without exposing user passwords.
SecurityRead definitionAutoscaling
Autoscaling automatically adjusts compute resources in response to real-time demand, adding capacity during traffic spikes and removing it when demand drops.
ComputeRead definitionAvailability Zone
An availability zone is a physically separate datacenter location within a cloud region that has independent power, cooling, and network connections to protect your workloads from localized failures.
InfrastructureRead definition
B
Backup
A backup is a recoverable copy of data stored separately from the original source, used to restore files, volumes, or entire systems after data loss, corruption, or accidental deletion.
StorageRead definitionBare Metal
Bare metal refers to a physical server dedicated to a single tenant, with no hypervisor layer dividing its resources among other customers.
Read definitionBlock Storage
Block Storage provides persistent, disk-like storage that can be attached to cloud instances, allowing data to survive instance restarts and be moved between instances.
StorageRead definition
C
Cinder
Cinder is the OpenStack block storage service that creates, manages, and attaches persistent storage volumes to instances.
StorageRead definitionCloud Billing
Cloud billing is the process of tracking, calculating, and invoicing resource usage in a cloud environment, translating metered consumption of compute, storage, and network resources into charges based on the provider's pricing model.
Cost ManagementRead definitionCloud Egress Fees
Cloud egress fees are charges a cloud provider applies when data leaves its network, typically billed per gigabyte transferred out to the internet or to another provider.
Read definitionCloud Metering
Cloud metering is the automated measurement and recording of how much of each cloud resource you consume over time, tracking metrics such as compute hours, storage capacity, and network bandwidth.
Cost ManagementInfrastructureRead definitionCloud Networking
Cloud networking is the infrastructure and services that connect cloud resources, enabling communication between instances, storage, and the internet through virtual networks, subnets, routers, and security groups.
NetworkingRead definitionCloud Region
A cloud region is a geographic area containing one or more data centers where cloud resources are deployed, providing location-specific performance, data residency compliance, and disaster recovery capabilities.
InfrastructureRead definitionCloud TCO
Cloud TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) is the full cost of running workloads in the cloud, combining direct charges like compute and storage with indirect costs like egress, idle capacity, and operational overhead.
Read definitionCloudKitty
CloudKitty is an OpenStack rating service that collects cloud resource usage metrics, applies pricing rules to that data, and produces cost information for chargeback and showback reporting.
Cost ManagementRead definitionCommand Line Interface (CLI)
A Command Line Interface (CLI) is a text-based tool that allows users to interact with cloud services by typing commands instead of clicking through a graphical interface.
InfrastructureRead definitionCompute
Compute is the processing power and resources used to run applications and workloads in a cloud environment, consisting of CPU cycles, memory, and other resources that execute code and handle data.
ComputeRead definitionControl Plane
A control plane is the management layer that orchestrates cloud services by handling API requests, authentication, scheduling, and coordination between components while remaining separate from the data plane where actual workloads run.
InfrastructureRead definition
D
Disaster Recovery
Disaster Recovery (DR) is the strategy, processes, and procedures for restoring cloud services and data after a major failure, outage, or catastrophic event.
InfrastructureRead definition
F
FinOps
FinOps is a cloud financial management discipline that combines financial accountability, operational efficiency, and cross-team collaboration to optimize cloud spending.
Cost OptimizationRead definitionFirewall Rule
A firewall rule is a configuration statement that permits or denies network traffic based on specific criteria, specifying which connections are allowed based on protocol, port, and IP address.
SecurityNetworkingRead definitionFlavors
A flavor is a predefined template that specifies the vCPUs, RAM, and disk space allocated to an instance when you launch it in a cloud environment.
InfrastructureRead definitionFloating IP
A floating IP is a static public IP address that you can assign to and move between instances in a cloud environment, allowing external network access that persists across instance changes.
NetworkingRead definition
G
Glance
Glance is the OpenStack image service that stores, catalogs, and retrieves disk images used to launch instances in a cloud environment.
StorageRead definitionGnocchi
Gnocchi is a time-series database for OpenStack that aggregates metrics during ingestion rather than at query time, providing fast retrieval of pre-computed monitoring and telemetry data.
InfrastructureRead definition
H
Heat
Heat is the OpenStack orchestration service that automates the deployment and management of cloud infrastructure using declarative templates.
InfrastructureRead definitionHigh Availability
High Availability is a system design approach that keeps services accessible with minimal downtime by eliminating single points of failure through redundant components and automatic failover mechanisms.
InfrastructureRead definitionHorizon Dashboard
Horizon Dashboard is the web-based graphical interface for OpenStack that allows users and administrators to manage cloud resources through a browser instead of command-line tools.
InfrastructureRead definitionHyperscaler
A hyperscaler is a cloud provider that operates data centers at massive global scale, offering near-unlimited compute, storage, and networking capacity on demand.
Read definitionHypervisor
A hypervisor is software that creates and manages virtual machines by allowing multiple operating systems to share a single physical server's hardware resources.
ComputeRead definition
I
Identity Management
Identity management is the system for creating, managing, and authenticating user identities and controlling their access to cloud resources through roles, groups, and permissions.
SecurityRead definitionImage
An image is a template file that contains a pre-configured operating system, software, and settings used to create instances in cloud hosting. It acts as a blueprint that determines what your virtual machine will run when it starts.
ComputeRead definitionInfrastructure as Code
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning cloud infrastructure through machine-readable configuration files rather than manual processes or interactive tools.
InfrastructureRead definitionInfrastructure Health
Infrastructure Health refers to the overall operational status of cloud infrastructure components, indicating whether compute, storage, network, and management services are functioning normally, experiencing degraded performance, or offline.
InfrastructureRead definitionInstance
An instance is a virtual machine running on a cloud provider's infrastructure with its own operating system, CPU, memory, and storage that you can create, configure, and manage on demand.
ComputeRead definitionInstance Lifecycle
Instance lifecycle refers to the sequence of states and transitions a virtual machine goes through from the moment it is created until it is permanently deleted, including active, stopped, paused, suspended, shelved, and error states.
ComputeRead definition
K
Keystone
Keystone is the OpenStack identity service that provides authentication, authorization, and service discovery for all OpenStack components and users.
SecurityRead definition
L
Load Balancer
A load balancer is a network device or service that distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers or instances, providing a single entry point for your application while preventing any single server from becoming overwhelmed.
NetworkingRead definition
M
Managed Private Cloud
A Managed Private Cloud is a single-tenant cloud environment built on dedicated hardware and operated by a provider that handles patching, monitoring, backups, and incident response on the customer's behalf.
Read definitionMonitoring
Monitoring is the practice of continuously observing cloud infrastructure to track performance metrics, detect issues, and maintain service availability through dashboards, alerts, and thresholds.
InfrastructureRead definitionMulti-Tenancy
Multi-tenancy is a cloud architecture where multiple customers share the same physical infrastructure while remaining logically isolated from each other, enabling efficient resource utilization and cost sharing.
InfrastructureRead definition
N
Network Isolation
Network isolation is the practice of separating resources into distinct network segments that cannot communicate with each other unless you explicitly configure connections.
NetworkingRead definitionNetworks
A network in cloud hosting is an isolated virtual network segment where you can place and connect cloud resources using private IP addresses. It controls how instances communicate with each other and external networks.
NetworkingRead definitionNeutron
Neutron is the OpenStack networking service that provides network connectivity for instances by managing networks, subnets, routers, floating IPs, security groups, and load balancers through a flexible plugin architecture.
NetworkingRead definitionNoisy Neighbor
A noisy neighbor is a co-tenant workload on shared cloud infrastructure that consumes an outsized share of CPU, disk I/O, or network bandwidth, degrading performance for other tenants on the same physical host.
Read definitionNova
Nova is the OpenStack compute service that manages the lifecycle of virtual machine instances, including creation, scheduling, and termination across a cluster of compute nodes.
ComputeRead definition
O
Object Storage
Object storage is a data storage architecture that manages data as discrete objects containing the data itself, metadata, and a unique identifier, accessed via HTTP APIs rather than file paths or block addresses.
StorageRead definitionOpenStack
OpenStack is an open-source cloud computing platform that manages compute, storage, and networking resources across a datacenter through a unified set of APIs.
Read definitionOpenStack API
The OpenStack API is a collection of RESTful HTTP interfaces that allow applications and tools to programmatically manage cloud resources including instances, networks, storage, and identity services.
InfrastructureRead definition
P
Planned Maintenance
Planned maintenance refers to scheduled periods when cloud providers perform infrastructure updates, security patches, or hardware replacements, typically announced in advance to allow customers to prepare their workloads.
InfrastructureRead definitionPrivate Network
A private network is an isolated network segment within your cloud project that creates a dedicated communication path between instances using private IP addresses not exposed to the public internet.
NetworkingRead definitionProject
A project is an isolated resource container in OpenStack that groups users, instances, networks, storage, and other cloud resources under a single administrative boundary with defined quotas and access controls.
InfrastructureRead definitionProject Selector
The project selector is a dropdown menu in the OpenStack Horizon dashboard that allows users to switch between different projects (tenants) they have permission to access.
Horizon DashboardRead definition
Q
Quota
A quota is a limit that restricts how many resources a cloud project can create or consume, preventing any single project from exhausting shared infrastructure capacity.
Cost ManagementRead definition
R
Role
A role is a predefined set of permissions that determines what actions a user or group can perform on cloud resources within a project.
SecurityRead definitionRole-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a security model that restricts system access based on predefined roles assigned to users, where each role contains a specific set of permissions that determine what actions a user can perform.
SecurityRead definitionRouter
A router connects separate networks and directs traffic between them using routing rules and tables.
NetworkingRead definition
S
Security Group
A security group is a set of firewall rules that controls which network traffic can reach or leave your cloud resources. It permits or denies connections based on protocol, port, and IP address.
NetworkingRead definitionService Level Agreement
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contractual commitment between a cloud provider and customer that guarantees specific service availability, typically expressed as an uptime percentage such as 99.9% or 99.99%, with remedies like service credits if the provider fails to meet those commitments.
InfrastructureRead definitionSnapshot
A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of a volume or instance state that captures all data as it existed at the moment of creation, enabling backup, recovery, and cloning operations.
StorageRead definitionSSH Key Pairs
An SSH key pair is a set of two cryptographic files (a public key and a private key) used to authenticate your identity when connecting to remote servers without typing a password.
SecurityRead definitionSubnet
A subnet is a logical subdivision of an IP network within a cloud environment that partitions a larger network into smaller, manageable segments for grouping and isolating resources.
NetworkingRead definitionSwift
Swift is the OpenStack object storage service that stores and retrieves unstructured data such as files, images, backups, and media using HTTP APIs.
StorageRead definition
T
Terraform
Terraform is an open-source Infrastructure as Code tool by HashiCorp that provisions and manages cloud resources using declarative configuration files written in HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL).
InfrastructureRead definition
U
Usage and Quotas
Usage and quotas are resource limits set by cloud administrators that control how much compute, storage, and network capacity an account or project can consume.
InfrastructureRead definitionUsage-Based Billing
Usage-based billing is a pricing model where customers pay only for the cloud resources they actually consume rather than a fixed monthly fee.
Cost ManagementRead definitionUser
A user is an individual account that can authenticate with a cloud platform and interact with resources based on assigned roles and project memberships.
SecurityRead definition
V
Virtual Machine
A Virtual Machine (VM) is a software-based computer that runs on physical hardware through a hypervisor, providing an isolated computing environment with its own operating system, CPU allocation, memory, and storage.
ComputeRead definitionVirtual Private Cloud
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is an isolated network environment within a public cloud provider where you control IP addressing, subnets, routing tables, and security rules for your cloud resources.
NetworkingRead definitionVMware vSphere
VMware vSphere is an enterprise virtualization platform that pools physical server, storage, and network resources into a centrally managed cluster of virtual machines.
Read definitionVolume
A volume is a block storage device that provides persistent data storage for instances in cloud hosting. It functions like an external hard drive that can be attached to, detached from, and moved between instances while retaining all stored data.
InfrastructureRead definitionVPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an encrypted network connection that creates a secure tunnel between endpoints over the public internet, protecting data in transit and allowing private resources to communicate as if on the same local network.
NetworkingRead definition
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