Lara explains the IT world - part 2!

In the last blog, we took a closer look at the terms RAM, cluster, and firewall. Today I have again 5 new ones which I explain to you: CPU, SaaS, NAT, Cache, and Cookie. Let's go!

Cookie

The cookie is not a food product, but small text files in which the web browser stores information about visited internet pages. This can be information about the visit to the site such as duration, identity, user input or similar. They have a capacity of 4KB and therefore serve as a buffer. It is also important to mention that there are 2 different types of cookies. Namely Session and Persistent Cookies. Session cookies only survive current sessions and persistent cookies remain on the user's hard disk for a longer period of time after the page is closed.

CPU

CPU stands for "Central Processing Unit" and translates as central processing unit. CPU is like the human brain, all commands and calculations are processed by the processor. For example, when you export (render) a video, this process is handled by the CPU. To perform these tasks, the CPU is constantly communicating with RAM. If you don't know what RAM means, you can go to my last blog here.

NAT

NAT, (Network Address Translation) is a method used in IP routers to connect local networks to the Internet. Because Internet accesses usually have only a single public IP address, all other hosts in the local network must make do with private IP addresses. Private IP addresses may be used multiple times at different locations. Hosts with a private IP address cannot therefore communicate directly with hosts outside the local network. A router is required to make this possible.

Cache

Cache memory is a fast cache that the CPU of a computer can access faster than regular main memory (RAM). When the processor processes data, it first looks into the cache memory. There are several types of cache memory. For example, the browser cache is there so that when a new page, for example the images, is called up, it does not always have to be downloaded again. This significantly reduces the response time when a new page is loaded. However, the problem is that the browser does not immediately recognize new content or changes. Instead, an older version of a website is loaded from the cache. This means that if you make improvements to your site, the changes may not be displayed. The cache can also be cleared in the settings of the respective browser.

SaaS

SaaS is the abbreviation for the term Software as a Service. Along with IaaS and PaaS, it is one of the cloud solutions. In terms of the service approach, SaaS means as much as software as a service or software on subscription. With software on demand, high acquisition costs and other services are eliminated because everything is included in the software package. Maintenance, updates and backups are handled by the SaaS provider. With SaaS, the user's customer or employee data no longer reside on their own computers, but with the SaaS provider.

All right, or do you just have an IT term you just don't understand? Then just send us a mail to contact@xelon.ch and we will explain the term in detail in the next blog.