Hosting Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Hosting facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which file in WordPress controls URL routing and permalink structure via Apache? → .htaccess
2. Which type of hosting is most appropriate for a high-traffic e-commerce site processing thousands of transactions per minute? → Dedicated server hosting
3. What is the primary purpose of an .htaccess file on a shared hosting Apache server? → To configure server behavior at the directory level without restarting the server
4. A database-driven site needs more memory for concurrent users. Which resource is most relevant to upgrade? → RAM
5. What is the main advantage of a managed hosting plan for a small business without IT staff? → The provider handles updates, security, and maintenance
6. What does DNS stand for in web hosting? → Domain Name System
7. What is a common reason to choose cloud hosting over a single dedicated server? → Redundancy across multiple servers prevents single points of failure
8. A group of links that serve as a "trail" for users to follow back to a website's homepage or entry point. They typically appear at the top of a page. → Breadcrumb Trail
9. What type of IP address do websites on shared hosting typically receive? → A shared IP address used by multiple websites simultaneously
10. Which metric most directly affects how fast a database-driven business site responds? → Server CPU and RAM resources
11. What does 'burstable CPU' mean in a VPS plan? → The CPU can temporarily exceed its base allocation during traffic spikes
12. What is reseller hosting best suited for? → Agencies selling hosting packages to their own clients
13. Why might you lower a record's TTL the day before migrating to a new host? → So the new IP propagates faster after the switch
14. What is a disk space quota in shared hosting? → The maximum amount of storage allocated to your hosting account
15. A developer needs root access and full control over the OS for custom software. Which option fits? → Dedicated or unmanaged VPS
16. What is 'domain propagation' in web hosting? → The time it takes for updated DNS records to spread across all DNS servers worldwide
17. Which feature lets a business email match its domain, like info@company.com? → Email hosting with custom domain mailboxes
18. Which caching technology is commonly pre-configured on managed WordPress hosts to improve page load speed? → Object caching (Redis/Memcached) plus page caching (Nginx FastCGI or Varnish)
19. A site outgrows shared hosting due to traffic spikes that crash neighbor accounts. Which hosting type best isolates resources while staying cost-effective? → VPS hosting
20. A business needs to host customer credit card data on its own server. Which compliance standard most directly applies? → PCI DSS
21. What does 'auto-scaling' mean in cloud hosting? → Automatically adjusting the number of server instances based on traffic load
22. A paragraph of text that, in most cases, appears above the main body of text on each page of a website and describes its contents → Page Header
23. What is a subdomain in the context of shared hosting? → A prefix added to the main domain to create a distinct web address
24. What is the key difference between managed and unmanaged VPS hosting? → Managed VPS includes server maintenance and support from the host
25. What role does PHP play in a shared hosting environment? → It is a server-side scripting language used to create dynamic web content
26. Which WordPress plugin category is essential for SEO on a WordPress site? → SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math
27. What does 'WordPress memory limit' refer to in hosting configuration? → The maximum amount of PHP memory WordPress can use, configured in wp-config.php or php.ini
28. A business with seasonal sales spikes (e.g., holidays) benefits most from which capability? → Auto-scaling cloud resources
29. Which term describes the amount of data transferred between a website and its visitors over time? → Bandwidth
30. What is a key reason a business chooses a host with 24/7 technical support? → Issues can be resolved any time to limit revenue loss