# Glossary

> Plain-language definitions of the terms used across InfraNest.

Source: https://infranest.io/docs/glossary
Last updated: 2026-10-08

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A plain-language reference for the words and concepts you'll see throughout InfraNest, written for anyone who isn't a infrastructure expert.

## Overview

- InfraNest uses a handful of core concepts — organizations, integrations, domains, monitors, and more — that show up across the whole app.
- This glossary explains each one in simple terms so menus like **Infrastructure**, **DNS**, **Monitors**, and **Settings** make more sense as you navigate them.
- Come back here anytime a term is unclear.

## Key terms

1. **Organization (workspace)** — This is your tenant in InfraNest. Everything you work with — domains, servers, team members, billing — belongs to an organization. You can be part of more than one, and you switch between them as needed.

2. **Integration / provider credential** — A connection between InfraNest and an outside service, such as a hosting provider or Cloudflare. Once you **Connect an account**, InfraNest can pull in and sync resources from that provider automatically. You'll find these under **Integrations**.

3. **DNS zone** — This is the DNS "home" for a domain. Inside a zone live the individual records (like A, CNAME, MX, or TXT entries) that control how the domain behaves. You can view these from **DNS** or by selecting **Open DNS zone**.

4. **Domain vs. contact** — A domain is the actual registered name (like yoursite.com). A contact is a reusable set of registrant, admin, or technical details that you attach to one or more domains, saving you from retyping the same information.

5. **Drop-catch / watched domain** — A way to keep an eye on a domain that's about to expire, so InfraNest can try to register it the instant it becomes available again. You'll see this option under **Drop Catch**.

6. **Dynamic IP** — A feature that automatically keeps a DNS record or firewall rule updated whenever a changing IP address (like a home internet or VPN connection) changes. Manage these under **Dynamic IPs**.

7. **Monitor (check)** — A scheduled health check that periodically tests whether a service is up and responding. If a monitor fails enough times, it can automatically open an **Incident**. Monitors live under **Monitors**, and you can jump to one directly with **Open monitor**.

8. **Maintenance window** — A planned time period where alerts are paused and your **Status Pages** show a "maintenance" state instead of an outage, so your users aren't alarmed by expected downtime.

9. **Status page** — A public-facing page that shows the current health of your services to your users or subscribers. Found under **Status Pages**.

10. **Alert destination** — The place an alert gets sent — email, Telegram, Slack, Teams, Discord, or a webhook. Set these up under **Destinations** or **Alerts**.

11. **Certificate inventory** — The list of SSL/TLS certificates InfraNest has automatically discovered for your domains. These are detected, not manually added, and appear under **Certificates**.

12. **Snapshot vs. backup** — A snapshot is a one-time, point-in-time copy of a server's disk that you trigger yourself. A backup is an automated copy taken regularly by your provider. Both live under **Backups & Snapshots**.

13. **API token** — A credential that lets other applications or scripts talk to InfraNest on your behalf. Each token is scoped with specific abilities (read or write access per resource), managed under **API Tokens**.

14. **Webhook** — An automated message sent over the internet when something happens. An inbound webhook is something external calling into InfraNest (secured and verified); an outbound webhook is InfraNest notifying your own system when an event occurs.

15. **Entitlement / plan limit** — What's included in your current subscription. If a feature isn't part of your plan, you'll see an "Upgrade" badge next to it.

16. **Trial** — A period where you get full access to InfraNest's features without needing a credit card. If you don't upgrade before it ends, your organization automatically moves to the Free plan.

> [!NOTE]
> These terms appear consistently across the app, so understanding them here will make every other help article easier to follow.

> [!TIP]
> If you're ever unsure what a section does, check whether it matches one of these core concepts — most of InfraNest is built from this same set of building blocks.