The vocabulary needed to read the archive
A domain, website, webpage, and direct file URL identify different layers.
Mirroring copies material; hotlinking asks the remote server to supply it.
Archive replay can combine incomplete resources captured at different times.
Identity and location terms
A domain name is a human-readable name resolved through DNS, such as goat.cx. A hostname identifies a network host within that naming system. A URL identifies a resource and can include scheme, hostname, port, path, query, and fragment. Changing any of those parts may name a different object.
A top-level domain is the rightmost DNS label. A country-code top-level domain, or ccTLD, is generally based on a two-letter country or territory code; .cx is assigned to Christmas Island. A registry administers that namespace, while a registrar sells or manages individual registrations for customers.
Page and file terms
A website is a related collection of resources. A webpage is one document rendered by a browser, often assembled from HTML, styles, scripts, images, and fonts. A direct media URL points to an asset such as a JPEG rather than to an explanatory page.
Static means a server can return a stored file without generating it from a database for each request. Dynamic means application logic helps construct the response. Neither term determines whether the content is safe, accurate, or interactive.
Web terminology and source-reading questions
Is a domain name the same as a website?
No. A domain is a name in DNS; a website is a collection of resources served through one or more hostnames and URLs.
Is an archived capture a complete copy of a page?
Not necessarily. The archive may lack images, scripts, styles, or destinations that the original page requested separately.
What is a tombstone page?
It is a stable explanatory response at a former resource URL, preserving citation context after the original file is removed or withheld.
Distribution terms
A mirror is another hosted copy intended to reproduce material or availability. Hotlinking embeds a remote asset so the viewer's browser fetches it from the original or third-party server. A redirect instructs a client to request another URL.
A shock site presents disturbing or explicit material for surprise, while a shock link conceals or misrepresents such a destination. A meme is a cultural unit that spreads through imitation and variation; it can persist after the original file or site disappears.
Archive and failure terms
A capture is an archive's collected response for a URL at a recorded time. Replay reconstructs a browsing experience from captured resources, which may come from different crawl moments. Missing dependencies can leave a page visually or functionally incomplete.
Link rot is the loss or change of material at a cited URL. A tombstone page is a stable response that explains what used to exist and where related context now lives. It can preserve citation meaning without pretending the removed resource is still available.
Sources and further reading
Sources are provided for verification. External destinations may contain material GOAT.CX does not host or control. Review the source and corrections policy and the maintained GOAT evidence ledger.
Publication record
First published . Last substantive review . The updated date changes only after a source, factual, or explanatory revision - Not an automated timestamp refresh.
