Glossary

Access list: the list of networks allowed to open a particular stack. Only for stacks HD Services set it up for. See Access lists.

Activity: the page with every executed job (deploys, stops, backups), who started it and the result.

API (REST API): your server’s programming interface at /api/v1, for scripts and pipelines. See The REST API.

Backup: a nightly copy of a database, volume or repository. See Backups.

Bearer token: see token.

CIDR: notation for a network, such as 203.0.113.0/24 (256 addresses) or 198.51.100.7/32 (one address).

Compose file: the file docker-compose.yml that describes which containers a stack consists of, with their images, volumes and networks.

Container: a running part of a stack, created from an image.

Deploy: rolling out a stack: pulling or building images and restarting only what changed.

Deploy key: an SSH key that gives the server read-only access to your git repository.

DNS A record: the link between a domain name and your server’s IP address.

Draft: files an assistant prepared for a site that are not live yet. Publishing makes them live in one step.

Hash: a one-way encryption. Passwords and tokens are stored as hashes, so they cannot be looked up.

HDDeploy: the hosting platform of HD Services; also the name of the portal.

Image: the ready-made “installation” a container is started from, for example nginx:stable or postgres:17.

IP filter: the rule that the portal is reachable only from registered networks.

Job: an action that runs in the background (deploy, stop, backup). Jobs run one at a time and keep their output.

MCP (Model Context Protocol): the standard by which AI assistants use external tools. Your server offers such a toolbox at /mcp. See The MCP server.

Nightly update: the per-stack setting to pull newer images at night and redeploy automatically.

OAuth: how claude.ai and ChatGPT sign in without a token: through your browser, with your own account. See Signing in from claude.ai and ChatGPT.

Platform rules: the rules every compose file must satisfy to keep the server safe. See Compose files and platform rules.

Protected service: a part of a stack that cannot be stopped or restarted from the client portal, marked by HD Services at your request.

Registry: a store for images, such as Docker Hub or ghcr.io. Private images need a login. See Private registries.

Revision: a saved version of a stack’s definition (compose file, variables, settings). See Revisions.

Scope: a permission granted to a token or connection, such as stacks.deploy. See API tokens and scopes.

Site: a directory of static web files served by a stack. See Sites.

Stack: an application: a group of containers that form one whole. See Stacks.

Technician: an HD Services employee with access to the platform itself.

Template: a ready-made stack definition with a form for its settings. See Templates and settings.

Token (API token): a key with which a script or assistant works on your behalf, limited to the chosen scopes. Starts with hdd_.

Traefik / web gateway: the component that receives all web traffic, handles certificates and routes requests to the right stack. Managed by HD Services.

Variables (.env): a stack’s settings as KEY=value lines, referenced from the compose file as ${KEY}.

Volume: a container’s storage that survives when the container is replaced (the database, uploaded files).

VPS: virtual private server, your own server at HD Services.

Webhook: an address an external system (your CI pipeline, GitHub) can call to start an action, such as a deploy. See Webhooks.

Wildcard certificate: a certificate for all subdomains of a domain (*.example.com).