Words can help us connect
You do not need to memorise these terms. They are here whenever an instruction uses an unfamiliar word. Follow a link, read the explanation and return to the topic you were reading.
- HTML
The language that organises a page into headings, paragraphs, images and links. Think of it as a house’s structure. At roscaille, the server prepares this content for the browser to display.
← Back to Install and update- CSS
Defines how the structure looks: colours, type, spacing and layout. It helps our identity carry across large screens and phones. Changing CSS should not change the words someone wrote in an entry.
← Back to Install and update- JavaScript
A language for telling a program what to do. In the browser it opens menus, arranges blocks and sends forms. We also use it on the server through Node.js to handle requests and prepare pages.
← Back to Install and update- Node.js
The program that runs JavaScript on the server. Our application uses Node.js 24 to run, receive forms and read data. Visitors do not need to install it to use the website.
← Back to Install and update- SQLite
The system that keeps our database in a file. Entries, accounts and applications stay there. It is not edited like a text document: the application reads and updates it in an organised way.
← Back to Install and update- Database
An organised collection of information the website needs to remember. Ours uses SQLite. Keeping it during an update preserves existing publications, sign-ins and applications.
← Back to Install and update- Browser
The application you use to visit websites, such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox. It displays what the server sends and lets you interact. Saving something only in a browser is different from saving it on the server.
← Back to Install and update- Server
The computer that keeps our application available and responds when someone opens a page or sends a form. It is separate from a visitor’s own computer. Hosting provides that space and its resources.
← Back to Install and update- Hosting
The service where our website lives so people can visit it. roscaille uses Spaceship. It provides space for code and data; setting up an outgoing email service is a separate task.
← Back to Install and update- Spaceship
The provider chosen for our domain and hosting. Its panel gives access to the tools used to manage this installation. Startup instructions in this guide refer to our Node.js application there.
← Back to Install and update- cPanel
The hosting control panel. It lets us manage files and the Node.js application. It is not the roscaille editor: website publications and user accounts are managed within our own site.
← Back to Install and update- Domain
The name used to find a website online. Ours is roscaillefoundation.lat. A domain gives the address; hosting stores and runs the website.
← Back to Install and update- URL
The full address of a page or resource. It can include a domain and a path such as /blog/, or point to a particular section with a fragment starting with #. It is what we copy when sharing a link.
← Back to Install and update- HTTPS
Indicates that the connection between the browser and the website is encrypted. This matters for sign-ins and personal information. It works alongside passwords and permissions rather than replacing them.
← Back to Install and update- Application root
The main folder for this installation, containing app.cjs, package.json and the website’s other folders. Extracting a ZIP at the root means putting its files there without an additional enclosing folder.
← Back to Install and update- app.cjs
Our application’s startup file: the entry point the hosting service uses to run it. Keep this exact name in the configuration even when a release ZIP has a new name.
← Back to Install and update- Environment variables
Settings that tell the application where it runs and which services it can use. PUBLIC_ORIGIN specifies the domain; ROSCAILLE_DATA_DIR specifies the data folder. Some can contain private keys and should not appear on public pages.
← Back to Install and update- PUBLIC_ORIGIN
The setting containing the website’s main public address, for example https://roscaillefoundation.lat. It helps create correct links and recognise requests from our own page. It should match the domain in use.
← Back to Install and update- ROSCAILLE_DATA_DIR
The setting pointing to the installation’s private data. When set, it uses that folder instead of the usual data folder. Keeping the correct path during updates prevents the site from appearing empty.
← Back to Install and update- Backup
A copy that lets us recover the installation if something goes wrong. For roscaille it should include code, database, uploaded images and configuration. It may contain personal information and keys, so keep it outside public folders.
← Back to Install and update- ZIP
A file that bundles other files and folders, usually using less space. Extract its contents to install them. A full package includes the application; an update package contains only files changed from its stated baseline.
← Back to Install and update- CSV
A simple format for opening data in a spreadsheet. Each row is a record and each column a field. The applications download includes responses and dates without changing or deleting the records saved on the website.
← Back to Install and update- API
An organised way for programs to communicate. Our website can request a translation through Google’s API. That integration may need a key and a service account; it is different from opening a website through a link.
← Back to Install and update- Cloud Translation API Basic v2
The Google service we can connect to produce translations within the website. It requires setup and billing in Google Cloud. Without it, the site can still offer the external Google Translate link.
← Back to Install and update- Google Translate
Google’s translation service. Our button opens a publication there and specifies its source and target languages when known. Reading happens in an external service and does not replace the original stored by roscaille.
← Back to Install and update- Zulip
The conversation platform that supports our community. Channels and topics help us share our work and organise teams. The roscaille link opens our space there; it is separate from the website database and administration tools.
← Back to Install and update- Owner
The role of the person responsible for the whole installation. They can manage other accounts and view applications. Managers cannot change or delete this account. It is a role assigned to a user, not a shared password.
← Back to Install and update- Manager
An administration role for day-to-day work. It allows managing publications and other accounts and reading applications while protecting the owner account. Assign it to people who need those responsibilities.
← Back to Install and update- Session
The temporary access created after signing in. It lets you move between tools without entering your credentials again. Signing out ends that browser’s access; deactivating an account invalidates its sessions.
← Back to Install and update- Block editor
The workspace where we arrange an entry in parts such as paragraphs and images. We can move blocks, format text and preview the result. It is different from the Editor role, which determines who can edit other people’s entries.
← Back to Install and update- Cache
A temporary copy that helps load content without requesting everything again. Sometimes it keeps an older resource, so refreshing helps check an update. Cache is not a backup; private application pages tell browsers not to store them.
← Back to Install and update- SEO
The work that helps search engines understand a website and show it when relevant, including clear titles, descriptions and addresses. It does not guarantee a position in Google or immediate changes to results.
← Back to Install and update- Metadata
Information describing a page, such as the title and description used by search engines or shared links. It does not always appear in the main text. We keep roscaille foundation lowercase there.
← Back to Install and update- Sitemap
A list of public addresses that helps search engines explore the website. It is not the La Estrella map or the visitor menu. Private administration tools should not be listed there as public content.
← Back to Install and update- Build
The process of preparing working files for the application to run. In this project, npm run build generates dist from src and public. The release package already includes that distribution, so installation does not need a build.
← Back to Install and update- Alpha
The name we give the baseline from which we keep improving the website. Its number identifies a particular release. Alpha 1.1.0 builds on Alpha 1.0.0 with applications and this expanded guide; it does not mean erasing the existing installation.
← Back to Install and update- Terminal
A tool for typing instructions for the server. The installer can run npm run activate there. You do not need it to write publications or read applications: those tasks have their own website screens.
← Back to Install and update- npm
A tool included with Node.js that runs named tasks. In this application, npm run activate prepares the first account, npm run backup makes a backup and npm run build prepares the distribution. Run commands from the application root.
← Back to Install and update- .env
An optional private configuration file. It can hold environment variables read at startup. Keep an existing hosting copy during updates. Do not publish it or include real keys in a release ZIP.
← Back to Install and update- .htaccess
A configuration file the hosting service may use to route visitors to the application. It is not a visible page. Keep the working Spaceship file so an update does not change domain access.
← Back to Install and update
Alpha 1.5.3 · Building on the September 2026 baseline