# Glossary

Short, plain answers to the terms you'll meet when offloading WordPress media, with what each means for Offloft.

- [What is media offloading?](https://www.offloft.com/docs/glossary/media-offloading): Media offloading stores your WordPress images and files in cloud storage and serves them from there.
- [What is S3-compatible storage?](https://www.offloft.com/docs/glossary/s3-compatible-storage): S3-compatible storage accepts the same API that Amazon S3 uses, so the same tools work with many providers.
- [What are egress fees?](https://www.offloft.com/docs/glossary/egress-fees): Egress fees are what a storage provider charges when data leaves its network, such as when visitors load your images.
- [What is a bucket?](https://www.offloft.com/docs/glossary/bucket): A bucket is a named container for files in cloud storage, with its own settings and permissions.
- [What is an access key?](https://www.offloft.com/docs/glossary/access-key): An access key is a pair of values that lets software act on your storage, within the permissions you give it.
- [What is a CDN, and do I need one for offloaded media?](https://www.offloft.com/docs/glossary/cdn): A CDN keeps copies of your files close to visitors. Whether you need one depends on where your visitors are.

Updated 2026-11-06.

Source: https://www.offloft.com/docs/glossary