Hosting · Website glossary

Data transfer

Quick answer · What is Data transfer?

The amount of data moved across a connection during a stated period or operation.

IN PRACTICE

Data transfer: an example

A visitor downloading a large product catalog contributes to the site's outgoing data transfer.

KEEP IN MIND

Transfer volume and connection speed measure different things; a monthly allowance is not a speed rating.

Put the idea to work

Frequently asked questions

What is a practical example of Data transfer?

A visitor downloading a large product catalog contributes to the site's outgoing data transfer.

Is a monthly data-transfer allowance a measure of speed?

Transfer volume and connection speed measure different things; a monthly allowance is not a speed rating.

Which concepts should I read alongside Data transfer?

Bandwidth: The data-carrying capacity of a network connection; hosting plans also use the word for an allowance of transferred data.
Compression: The reduction of data size using an encoding that a recipient can decode.