When you sign up for Coventry.Domains, you get space on a Web host that is associated with the project. There are a few things you need to know about the Web hosting that will make it easier to understand what you can do with your new space.
Coventry.domains uses a kind of Web server known as a LAMP server. “LAMP” is an acronym for the technology stack that is installed on the server:
- Linux: This is the open-source operating system that is used on the server.
- Apache: This is the Web server software that the server uses.
- MySQL: This is the database software that the server uses.
- Php/Perl/Python: These are the three programming languages that the server can interpret.
Generally, if you are using applications available to install by default through the Coventry.Domains server, you shouldn’t need to worry about these technical details. All of the software that is available for installation (in cPanel) meets the technical requirements.
If you’re interested in finding/installing another application (that isn’t available through our automatic installer tool), then you’ll have to be sure that the server can support it. To start with, you’ll want to be sure that the Web application can run on a LAMP server. Check the technical requirements for the application to determine this. You’ll also need to do some research about whether there are any additional services or modules required on the server. Some software may require components that aren’t included in the default installation of the LAMP stack. In that case, contact us with details about what you need, and we’ll see what we can do.
The Web Server
The Web server is the main computer that is associated with the Coventry.Domains hosting account. It’s literally a computer, but it’s a computer that has special software on it that allows it to be accessible via the Web. The files that run your applications, images or video you upload or any other files you upload into your Web space are stored on this server.
In order to run, a Web server has an operating system installed and some kind of Web server software. The Coventry.Domains servers run the ‘LINUX‘ operating system and an ‘APACHE‘ Web server.
The Database Server
In addition to the Web server, there is also an associated database server. This is another computer, but it is configured with software that allows it to host databases. It is also connected to your Web server so that your applications (hosted on the Web server) can retrieve data (from databases hosted on the database server).
Databases come in many varieties. The kind of database you can use for a Web application depends on the kind of software that’s installed on the database server. The Coventry.Domains servers can run ‘MYSQL‘ databases.
The Programming Language
When you install open-source software on your Web account, it is going to be written in a programming language. Your Web server has the software installed on it that allows it to understand different languages. If you install software that’s written in a language that your Web server doesn’t read, it won’t work.
The Coventry.Domains server has the software installed on it that allows it to understand ‘PHP’, ‘PERL’, and ‘PYTHON’.
Add it Together: LAMP
If you take a look at all the descriptions above, you can determine that we are running what is known as a LAMP server for coventry.domains:
- Linux (operating system)
- Apache (web server)
- MySQL (database server)
- PHP, PERL, PYTHON (programming language)
Applications that are written for LAMP environments will, presumably, run on the server. However, some applications do require additional extensions or libraries that are not included, by default, in a LAMP environment. The applications you can install via Installatron (in cPanel) should work just fine.
What makes LAMP environments special is that all of the component parts are open-source. Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, PERL, and PYTHON are all open-source programs or systems. Anyone can download them (for free) and install them. Anyone can also modify them and redistribute them. As a result, there are lots of online resources for using these systems that have been built by their communities of users. But, also as a result, since you’re not paying for these systems, you can’t just call up a company and ask them to fix a problem.
This content is adapted from the Create Documentation by The University of Oklahoma’s Center for Teaching Excellence which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
