Cloider glossary of terms
This glossary defines the terms used across the Cloider docs, in alphabetical order. Each entry links to the page that covers it in depth.
A
Access key
A pair of credentials (an access key id starting with CLDR and a secret key) that lets S3 tools and SDKs reach your buckets. Access keys are managed in Access Control, S3 Credentials, and the secret is shown once. See Access keys.
Account
The container for resources, usage and invoices. Every user has their own account, and can be a member of other accounts. See Accounts and roles.
Admin
A member role with full access to every resource and to members, but not to billing. See Accounts and roles.
API
Short for the Cloider REST API at https://cloider.com/api, which the dashboard, the CLI, Terraform and the MCP server all use. See REST API.
API token
A secret starting with cldr_ that lets tools call the API as the member who generated it, in one account, with Read or Read & Write access. See API tokens.
App
Your source code, built into a container image and run by Cloider on a free HTTPS subdomain, with no servers to manage. See Apps overview.
Apps project
The container registry project Cloider creates in your account with your first app, where your apps' images are stored. It can't be deleted and doesn't count toward the trial's project limit. See Container Registry overview.
Auto deploy
The option that makes an app imported from Git deploy a new version on every push to its branch. See Deploy from Git.
B
Backup
A copy of a database that Cloider takes every 14 days and that you can restore into a new database. Every change in between is recorded too, so a database can be restored to any second of the last 14 days. See Backups and restore.
Bucket
A container for files (objects) in Cloider Object Storage, reached through the S3 API. Bucket names are unique across all of Cloider. See Create a bucket.
Bucket policy
A JSON document, in the S3 policy language, that grants or denies access to a bucket's files. See Bucket policies.
Build
One attempt to turn an app's source into a container image and run it. Builds are numbered 1, 2, 3... per app. See Builds and deployments.
Build argument
A value passed to a Dockerfile build, as an ARG or, when secret, as a build secret. It isn't visible to the running app. See Build configuration.
Build variable
An environment variable that buildpacks build an app without a Dockerfile in, such as BP_NODE_RUN_SCRIPTS. It isn't visible to the running app. See Build configuration.
Buildpack
A tool that builds a container image from source code without a Dockerfile, by detecting the language and installing what it needs. Cloider uses buildpacks for apps that have no Dockerfile. See Build configuration.
C
CA certificate
The certificate that signs a database's server certificate. Download it to let clients verify the server over SSL/TLS. See SSL/TLS.
CLI
The cloider command line tool, which does from a terminal what the dashboard does. See CLI overview.
Cluster
Short for a Cloider Kubernetes cluster: a standard Kubernetes API with its own control plane, with no nodes for you to manage. See Kubernetes overview.
Compute unit
The unit apps and clusters are billed in: one vCPU, or the memory paired with one vCPU at the current ratio, whichever a workload uses more of. See Billing model.
Compute-Hour
One compute unit used for one hour, the unit of compute lines on an invoice. See Billing.
Context
A named entry in a kubeconfig file that tells kubectl which cluster and credentials to use. cloider cluster kubeconfig --merge adds the context cloider-<cluster>. See Connect with kubectl.
Control plane
The Kubernetes components that run a cluster: the API server, the cluster state and the controllers. Cloider runs it for you, and its usage is part of the cluster's compute. See How Cloider works.
Custom domain
A domain you own, such as example.com, added to Cloider and pointed at Cloider's nameservers. See Add a custom domain.
D
Dashboard
The web interface at cloider.com/dashboard. See Dashboard tour.
Database
A managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB or Redis database that Cloider provisions, backs up and runs. See Databases overview.
Database plan
The size of a database: Hobby, Starter, Basic, Standard, Plus or Pro, each with fixed CPU, RAM and storage and a monthly price. See Create a database.
Deployment
A Kubernetes object that keeps a number of identical pods running. Also, in apps, a version of the app going live. See Deploy a workload.
Detection
The step where Cloider inspects uploaded or imported source code to find its language, framework and port before the app is created. See Build configuration.
DNS record
An entry in a domain's DNS zone, such as an A, CNAME, MX or TXT record, that tells the internet where a name points. See DNS records.
Dockerfile
A file of instructions to build a container image. If an app's source has one, Cloider builds it instead of using buildpacks. See Build configuration.
Domain
A domain name you use with Cloider: a free subdomain of cloider.app or a custom domain you own. See Domains overview.
E
Endpoint
The address a service is reached at, for example the S3 endpoint https://s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com or a database's host and port. See Connect to a database.
Environment variable
A named value given to a running app, such as DATABASE_URL. Changing one restarts the app. Secret variables are never listed back. See Environment variables.
Exec
Running one command inside an app's container, a cluster's terminal or a database client, and getting its output and exit code back, for example cloider app exec blog uptime. See Terminal and exec.
Exit code
The number a CLI command ends with: 0 for success, 1 error, 2 usage, 3 not logged in, 4 not found, 5 forbidden. See Output and scripting.
F
Forecast
The Usage page's projection of a month's total cost, assuming current usage continues. See Usage.
Free subdomain
A name under cloider.app, such as blog.cloider.app, that you can claim for free and that comes with HTTPS. See Free subdomains.
G
GB-Hour
One GB stored or provisioned for one hour, the unit of storage lines on an invoice. See Billing.
Git installation
A connection between your Cloider account and a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket account, through which apps are imported and auto deployed. See Deploy from Git.
H
Helm
The Kubernetes package manager, which installs applications packaged as charts. It works with Cloider clusters as with any cluster. See Helm.
HTTPS certificate
The TLS certificate that lets browsers reach a domain over HTTPS. Cloider manages them for free subdomains and custom domains. See HTTPS certificates.
I
Id
A resource's identifier in the API, a short string of lowercase letters and digits such as q7m2x. See Resource lifecycle.
Image
A container image: a packaged application stored in a registry and run as a container. See Push and pull images.
Immutable tag
A registry tag protected by an immutability rule, so it can't be pushed over or deleted. See Immutable tags.
Ingress
A Kubernetes object that routes HTTP traffic. Ingress objects in a Cloider cluster are not served; use targets instead. See Expose services.
Insights
Charts of a resource's CPU, memory and other metrics over time, on an app's or database's Insights tab. See App insights and Database insights.
Invoice
The monthly bill of an account, with one item per resource. Only the Owner sees invoices. See Billing.
K
Kubeconfig
The file that tells kubectl and other Kubernetes tools how to reach a cluster and authenticate. A Cloider kubeconfig is a cluster admin credential. See Connect with kubectl.
kubectl
The standard Kubernetes command line tool. See Connect with kubectl.
L
Label
The name a cluster, database or app is shown and found by: its name, with -1, -2... added when the account already has one of that name. See Resource lifecycle.
Lifecycle rule
A bucket rule that, after a number of days, deletes files, deletes previous versions of files, or cleans up unfinished multipart uploads, optionally only under a prefix. See Lifecycle rules.
Load balancer
A public IP address in front of a Kubernetes Service of type LoadBalancer, billed for the time it is active. See Load balancers.
M
MCP
The Model Context Protocol, a standard that lets AI agents call tools. cloider mcp is an MCP server offering a tool for each CLI command. See MCP overview.
Member
A user invited into another user's account with the role Admin or Restricted. See Access control.
N
Namespace
A Kubernetes grouping of objects inside a cluster, such as default or kube-system. See Deploy a workload.
Nameserver
A DNS server that answers for a domain. Custom domains on Cloider are pointed at ns1.cloider.com to ns4.cloider.com. See Nameservers.
O
Object
A file stored in a bucket, identified by its key (its path, such as images/logo.png). See Manage files.
Owner
The user whose account it is: full access, including billing, and billed for every resource in it. See Accounts and roles.
P
Pause
Stopping a cluster's, database's or app's compute while keeping its data, to stop paying for compute. See Resource lifecycle.
Persistent volume
Storage that outlives the pod using it, claimed in a cluster with a PersistentVolumeClaim and billed per GiB. See Persistent volumes.
Plan
For an account, Free (the trial) or Paid. For a database, its size from Hobby to Pro. See Billing model and Create a database.
Pod
The smallest Kubernetes unit: one or more containers running together. See Deploy a workload.
Profile
A named CLI login, one per account, stored in ~/.cloider. Switch with cloider profile use or --profile. See Switch accounts.
Public bucket
A bucket whose files anyone can read with the URL, without a key. See Public and private buckets.
PVC
A PersistentVolumeClaim, the Kubernetes object a workload uses to ask for a persistent volume. See Persistent volumes.
R
Read token
An API token that can only make read requests, whatever its creator's role. See API tokens.
Read & Write token
An API token with its creator's full role, except for dashboard only actions. See API tokens.
Region
Where a bucket's data is stored. Buckets are created in eu-central-2 (Europe). See How Cloider works.
Registry project
A private (or public) space in the Cloider container registry at registry.cloider.com/<project>, holding repositories of images. See Create a project.
Registry token
A credential for docker login and Kubernetes pull secrets, with pull or pull and push access to chosen projects. See Registry tokens.
Repository
A named set of images inside a registry project, such as acme/api, told apart by tags. See Repositories and tags.
Resize
Moving a database to a larger plan. See Resize.
Restricted
A member role with read-only access to resources. See Accounts and roles.
Retention policy
A registry project's rules for which images to keep, with a schedule; a run deletes the rest. See Retention policies.
S
S3
The object storage API Amazon S3 defined, which Cloider buckets speak, so S3 tools and SDKs work with them. See S3 tools.
Secret
A value stored so it is never listed back: secret environment variables, build arguments and build variables of apps. See Environment variables.
Service
A Kubernetes object that gives a stable name and port to a set of pods. Targets route domains to Services. See Expose services.
Start command
The command an app is started with. Left empty, the project's own Procfile or start script decides. See Build configuration.
Static website
A public bucket served as a website, with an index document for every folder path and an error document for anything missing, at https://<bucket>.s3-website.eu-central-2.cloider.com or on a domain with a Bucket target. See Static websites.
Status
The state of a resource, such as Creating, Ready or Paused. See Status values.
Subdomain
A name under another domain, such as blog.cloider.app under cloider.app. Cloider gives apps free subdomains of cloider.app. See Free subdomains.
Suspended
The state of an account whose trial ended without an upgrade. It can't create resources. See Create an account.
T
Tag
A name for one image in a repository, such as 1.0 or latest. See Repositories and tags.
Target
A route from a domain and path, such as example.com/api, to an app, a Service in a cluster, or a bucket's static website. See Targets.
Terminal
A shell in the browser (or cloider ... shell) inside an app's container, with kubectl and helm for a cluster, or with a database client. See Web terminal and exec.
Terraform provider
The cloider/cloider provider that manages Cloider resources with Terraform or OpenTofu. See Terraform overview.
Toolset
A group of MCP tools, such as apps or databases, that cloider mcp --toolsets can limit the server to. See MCP tools.
Trial
The first 14 days of a new account, with $25 of free credit and one cluster, database, bucket and registry project at a time. See Create an account.
Trusted source
An address or Cloider resource allowed to connect to a database. See Trusted sources.
TTL
Time to live: how long, in seconds, DNS resolvers may cache a record, from 60 to 172800 on Cloider. See DNS records.
U
Usage
What resources have used and cost this month, on the Usage page. See Usage.
User
A person, identified by the email address of their Google or GitHub sign in. See Accounts and roles.
V
Version
For apps, a numbered build. For buckets with versioning on, a previous copy of a file. See Builds and deployments and Versioning.
Versioning
A bucket setting that keeps previous versions of files when they are overwritten or deleted. Once on, it can only be suspended. See Versioning.
Volume
Short for persistent volume. See Persistent volumes.