Add-On
A recurring/ongoing service that isn’t a hosting service; for example, the database disk space add-on.
Application
Within the context of Kinsta’s Application Hosting, an application is a set of instructions executed by a server to perform one or more tasks. Our current infrastructure is designed to serve and support the deployment of applications with a server behind the application.
Application Hosting
One of Kinsta’s Hosting Services. It is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) that provides you with the tools you need to deploy applications from a Git repository.
Artifact Registry
The location where built images are stored. Each application has a single image that can be turned into a container.
Automatic Deployment
When Automatic deployment on commit is enabled and a new commit is made to the default branch of your Git repository, a new version of the application will be deployed from MyKinsta.
Background Job
A process similar to a Cron job, where a specified command is executed at a set time or interval.
Build Time
The time it takes for an image to be built from an application’s source code. Builds are performed on machines specifically designated for building images. Multiple build machine sizes exist, and you can choose between these machines depending on the resources required to build the application. Build time is billed at different rates, separate from your application’s hosting pods.
Buildpack
Buildpacks are scripts that run when an application is deployed. They are used to install dependencies for your application and configure your environment.
Commit
A commit records changes to one or more files in a Git branch and assigns a unique ID (called an SHA or hash) that identifies the specific changes and when those changes are made.
Concurrent Connections/Users
Concurrent connections are connections that are happening simultaneously (i.e. at the same time). While there is a relationship between concurrent connections and users, it is not always a direct 1:1 relationship. One user can spawn multiple connections, depending on their actions and depending on the application’s code.
An application’s maximum concurrent connections depends on a number of factors, including its code, usage patterns of users, etc. To calculate this number, you need to know your application’s resource consumption. There are a number of load testing tools you can use to send concurrent connections to the application and see the resource usage during that time:
Connection
Connections are how applications communicate.
An External connection allows your database to communicate with an external application. This would be used in a situation where you are hosting only your database with us but not the frontend of your application. Because an external connection makes an internet round-trip, it is much slower than an internal connection.
An Internal connection stays within our network and is thus much faster and more secure. We recommend this method if you host both your frontend and your database with Kinsta.
Database
A collection of data stored in an organized manner so it can be retrieved or updated efficiently.
Deployment
A deployment is a rebuild of your application in a new container, usually done after updating your application’s code, but can be configured to happen automatically (see automatic deployment above). The deployment invokes any buildpacks and applies any environmental variables each time the application is deployed.
Environment Variables
Variables such as API keys, database connection details, or other configuration values or secrets. By using environment variables, you can avoid putting this information in your code as cleartext (unencrypted text).
Git Repository
A Git repository is where your application code and historical versions of that code are saved.
Instance
See Pod below.
Logs
Runtime logs from the application build process.
Pod
A Pod is a container that runs a Process. Each Pod has a Pod Size that defines the resources available to the Pod in terms of CPU and RAM.
Processes
The smallest unit you can deploy in our Application Hosting. While this is usually a well-defined item like a frontend for a web application, it could also serve as the backend for a mobile application. While it is usually well defined, it’s up to you to decide what you want to run within a Pod or what constitutes a process. It’s possible to run multiple processes within a pod, but the Pod’s resources will be split up amongst those processes.