Glossary v1.0.0

Key terms and definitions to help you understand the SLYD Cloud Platform.

About This Glossary

This glossary provides definitions for terminology specific to SLYD and related cloud technologies. Use this reference to clarify any unfamiliar terms you encounter in our documentation.

A

API Key

A unique identifier used to authenticate requests to the SLYD API. API keys are associated with specific user accounts and have defined permissions and rate limits.

Application

A software package that can be deployed on SLYD compute instances. Applications in the SLYD marketplace are pre-configured for immediate use and often include databases, web servers, development environments, and specialized tools.

Authentication

The process of verifying a user's identity when accessing the SLYD platform. SLYD supports multiple authentication methods including username/password, OAuth, and API keys.

B

Benson AI

SLYD's intelligent AI assistant that provides resource recommendations, optimization suggestions, and helps troubleshoot issues. Benson analyzes usage patterns to suggest optimal resource configurations and cost-saving measures.

Billing

The process of charging consumers for SLYD resource usage. Billing is based on resource consumption (compute, storage, bandwidth) and is calculated hourly with monthly invoicing.

C

Cloudflare Zero Trust

The security service used by SLYD to provide secure tunneling to compute instances. Cloudflare Zero Trust enables end-to-end encrypted connections, identity-based access controls, and DDoS protection.

Compute Instance

A virtualized computing environment in SLYD that provides isolated resources (CPU, memory, storage) for running applications. SLYD compute instances are built on LXD container technology for lightweight virtualization.

Consumer

A SLYD user who rents and utilizes compute resources. Consumers can deploy instances, install applications, and manage their own resources through the consumer dashboard.

Container

A lightweight, standalone executable package that includes everything needed to run a piece of software, including code, runtime, system tools, libraries, and settings. SLYD uses LXD containers as the foundation for compute instances.

D

Data Center

A physical facility that houses compute resources for the SLYD platform. Data centers are managed by providers and contain servers, storage, and networking equipment used to power SLYD compute instances.

DNS (Domain Name System)

The system that translates domain names to IP addresses. SLYD automatically configures DNS for instances with Cloudflare tunnels, assigning subdomains like [instance-name].slyd.dev for simple access.

E

Encryption

The process of encoding data to prevent unauthorized access. SLYD uses encryption for data at rest (storage) and in transit (network communications) to ensure security and privacy.

F

Firewall

A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic. SLYD instances include configurable firewalls to restrict access to specific ports and IP addresses.

I

Image

A template used to create compute instances with pre-installed operating systems and software. SLYD offers various images including Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, and specialized images with pre-configured environments.

L

LXD

Linux Container Daemon, a container manager developed by Canonical that provides a user experience similar to virtual machines but with the performance of containers. SLYD uses LXD as the primary virtualization technology for compute instances.

M

Manager

A SLYD user role responsible for coordinating between providers and consumers. Managers handle platform administration, user management, and platform health monitoring.

Marketplace

A central repository of pre-configured applications, compute resources, and services available for deployment on the SLYD platform. The marketplace allows consumers to easily discover and deploy resources.

Monitoring

The process of tracking performance metrics, resource utilization, and system health of SLYD instances. SLYD provides built-in monitoring tools for CPU, memory, disk, and network usage.

N

Networking

The infrastructure and services that enable communication between SLYD compute instances and external systems. SLYD networking features include private networks, public IP addressing, and secure tunneling.

O

OAuth

An open standard for secure token-based authentication and authorization. SLYD supports OAuth 2.0 for single sign-on with identity providers like Google, Microsoft, and GitHub.

Optimization

The process of improving resource utilization, performance, and cost-efficiency for SLYD workloads. Benson AI provides optimization recommendations based on usage patterns and resource metrics.

P

Permissions

Access controls that determine what actions a user can perform in the SLYD platform. Permissions are associated with user roles and can be customized for specific requirements.

Provider

An organization that contributes hardware resources to the SLYD marketplace. Providers manage physical infrastructure and receive compensation based on resource utilization by consumers.

R

Region

A geographic location containing one or more data centers where SLYD resources are deployed. Selecting an appropriate region allows users to minimize latency by placing resources closer to end users.

Resource

A computing asset in the SLYD platform including CPU, memory, storage, and network bandwidth. Resources are allocated to compute instances based on instance size and can be scaled up or down as needed.

Role

A defined set of permissions and access rights in the SLYD platform. Standard roles include Consumer, Provider, and Manager, each with different levels of access and functionality.

S

Scaling

The process of adjusting resource allocation to meet changing workload demands. SLYD supports both vertical scaling (changing instance size) and horizontal scaling (adding more instances).

Security

The measures and practices implemented to protect SLYD resources from unauthorized access, data breaches, and other threats. SLYD security features include encryption, access controls, and secure tunneling.

SLYD

A cloud platform that provides seamless end-to-end connectivity between disparate compute resources and their end uses through secure reverse proxy tunneling technology. Built with a robust and scalable architecture for deploying, managing, and optimizing compute resources.

Storage

Data persistence services in the SLYD platform. Storage options include instance local storage (fast but ephemeral) and persistent volumes that can be attached to instances and survive instance restarts.

T

TLS (Transport Layer Security)

A cryptographic protocol that provides secure communication over networks. SLYD uses TLS to encrypt all communications between clients and instances, ensuring data privacy and integrity.

Tunneling

The technology that enables secure, encrypted connections to SLYD compute instances through firewalls and NAT devices. SLYD uses Cloudflare Zero Trust for secure tunneling with authentication and access controls.

U

Usage

The consumption of SLYD resources over time, measured in metrics like CPU hours, GB of memory, TB of storage, and GB of network traffic. Usage is tracked for billing purposes and resource optimization.

V

Volume

A persistent storage resource that can be attached to SLYD compute instances. Volumes provide durable storage that persists independently of instance lifecycle and can be moved between instances.

W

Wallet

A virtual account that holds funds for SLYD resource usage. Consumers add funds to their wallet for pay-as-you-go billing, while providers receive payouts to their wallet based on resource utilization.

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