Glossary

Terms and concepts used in AMP Manager, explained in plain language.

Core Concepts

Domain

A local website address. Like google.com on the internet, but .local domains only work on your computer.

Example: myproject.local

Related: Create a domain in AMP Manager

SSL/TLS Certificate

A security certificate that enables HTTPS (secure connections).
It proves your site is legitimate and encrypts data.

Visual:

http://mysite.local -> Unsecure
https://mysite.local -> Secure (icon lock)

Sync

The process AMP Manager runs on every login to verify your environment is working correctly.

What it checks:

Configuration files exist
Docker is running
SSL certificates are valid
Domains are registered
Database is up to date

Why it runs every login: See Security Design

Container (Docker)

A lightweight, isolated environment that runs a service (web server, database, etc.).

AMP uses three containers:

Container	Service
`angie`	Web server (nginx replacement)
`php`	PHP runtime
`db`	MariaDB database
`mailpit`	Mail

CA (Certificate Authority)

A "trusted issuer" that vouches for your SSL certificates.

AMP uses mkcert to create a local CA.

Why needed:

Without a CA, browsers won't trust your local SSL certificates.

User-Facing Terms

Workflow

A visual automation tool that lets you chain commands (Git, SFTP, npm) together.

Use cases:

Deploy code to a server
Pull latest changes from Git
Sync files via SFTP

Credential

A stored username/password or SSH key for external services.

Types:

SSH Keys (for SFTP, Git)
API Keys
Database passwords

Stored: Encrypted in JSON files (users/user_{username}/credentials.json)

Note

A text note in AMP, optionally encrypted for sensitive information.

Features:

Plain text or encrypted
Tag with sites
Rich markdown support

Stored: Encrypted in JSON files (users/user_{username}/notes.json)

Tag

A label you can add to sites, notes, databases for organization.

Example: development testing production

Stored: JSON file (users/user_{username}/tags.json)

Technical Terms

JSON Storage

AMP Manager's primary storage system using JSON files in the users/user_{username}/ folder.

Files in users/user_{username}/:

File	Purpose	Encrypted
`user.json`	Auth (salt + validation)	No
`sites.json`	Domain configurations	No
`notes.json`	Notes	Yes
`credentials.json`	SSH keys, passwords	Yes
`workflows.json`	Automation workflows	Yes
`settings.json`	User settings	Yes
`site_configs.json`	Config backups	Yes
`domain_status.json`	Domain health	No
`activity_logs.json`	Activity history	No
`tags.json`	Tags	No
`tunnels.json`	Active tunnels	No
`databases.json`	Database metadata	No
`databases_cache.json`	Database cache	No

Zustand

A state management library for React. Manages UI state that doesn't need to persist.

Used in AMP for:

Docker metrics (real-time)
UI toggles
Polling settings

Neutralino.js

The runtime that lets AMP Manager run as a desktop app (instead of just a website).

Why Neutralino:

Lightweight (no Electron overhead)
Native Windows support
Secure API allowlist

amp-tasks.bat

The Windows batch script that handles all backend operations.

What it does:

Creates domains
Manages Docker
Handles SSL certificates
Manages databases
Watchdog restart

hosts file

A Windows file that maps domain names to IP addresses.

Location: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

AMP Manager adds entries like:

127.0.0.1    myproject.local

mkcert

A tool that creates locally-trusted SSL certificates.

Used by AMP Manager to:

Create a local Certificate Authority
Generate certificates for .local domains

Angie

The web server (nginx fork) that serves your local sites.

Why Angie:

Modern nginx fork
Better performance
Active development

Workflow/Deployment Terms

SFTP

SSH File Transfer Protocol - secure file transfer using SSH keys.

vs FTP: SFTP is more secure and uses key-based auth.

SSH Key

A pair of cryptographic keys (public + private) for secure authentication.

Public key: Shared with servers you want to access Private key: Kept on your machine, never shared

Deploy Key

An SSH key added to a Git repository for read/write access during deployment.

Webhook

An HTTP POST request that triggers an action (like deploying code).

Use in AMP: Trigger deployments from external services

Error Terms

UAC

User Account Control - Windows security that prompts for admin permission.

AMP needs admin because:

Modify hosts file
Install SSL certificates
Control Docker

nativeAllowList

A security setting in Neutralino that controls which APIs JavaScript can call.

Purpose: If JS is compromised, limits damage by blocking unauthorized system calls

Quick Reference Table

Term	Simple Definition	Where to Learn
Domain	Local website address	For Users
SSL	Secure HTTPS	For Users
Sync	Environment check	Security Design
Container	Isolated service	For Users
Workflow	Automation tool	Workflows
Credential	Saved auth data	Workflows
JSON Storage	File-based persistence	State Management
Neutralino	Desktop runtime	For Developers

Glossary ​

Core Concepts ​

Domain ​

SSL/TLS Certificate ​

Sync ​

Container (Docker) ​

CA (Certificate Authority) ​

User-Facing Terms ​

Workflow ​

Credential ​

Note ​

Tag ​

Technical Terms ​

JSON Storage ​

Zustand ​

Neutralino.js ​

amp-tasks.bat ​

hosts file ​

mkcert ​

Angie ​

Workflow/Deployment Terms ​

SFTP ​

SSH Key ​

Deploy Key ​

Webhook ​

Error Terms ​

UAC ​

nativeAllowList ​

Quick Reference Table ​

See Also ​