hosttmp

Hosttmp is a term encountered in computing that refers to a temporary or placeholder host. It is not a standardized component, but rather a convention used in documentation, scripts, and templates to stand in for a host name or address that is temporary or in flux during setup, testing, or provisioning.

In practice, hosttmp can denote a temporary host created during virtual machine or container provisioning, a placeholder in sample configuration files, or an alias used during network bootstrapping where the actual host will later be replaced by a permanent hostname. Because there is no formal specification, the exact meaning of hosttmp depends on the context in which it appears. In many environments, hosttmp is used in templates with substitution mechanisms, so the placeholder is resolved to a real host at deployment time.

Common considerations include differentiating hosttmp from temporary file directories such as /tmp or /var/tmp, and ensuring proper cleanup to avoid resource leakage. It is also important to ensure that any data or credentials used by a temporary host are secured and that the temporary host is not left accessible longer than necessary.

History and usage notes: The practice of employing placeholder names like hosttmp is widespread in documentation and templating as a privacy-preserving or environment-agnostic stand‑in for real hosts during development and testing.

See also: /tmp, /var/tmp, hostname, template, provisioning, virtualization, DNS, IP addressing.