Glossary
AI website building, defined
Short, plain-English definitions of the terms you will meet when building websites with AI — no jargon required to get started.
BYOK (bring your own key)
A model where a tool runs on an API key you obtain directly from an AI provider, instead of reselling AI usage. You pay the provider's raw per-token rates; the tool adds no markup and needs no subscription. OpenThorn is a BYOK website builder.
AI website builder
A tool that turns a plain-language description into a working website. Modern builders use an AI agent that plans the site, writes real code, previews it, and deploys it — rather than filling templates.
AI agent
An AI system that works toward a goal in steps: it plans, calls tools (like writing files or running a compiler), checks the results, and keeps iterating until the task is done. OpenThorn's agent builds websites this way.
LLM (large language model)
The AI model that powers text and code generation — for example GPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), or Gemini (Google). Accessed programmatically through an API, billed per token.
API key
A secret credential from an AI provider that lets software call its models on your account. You create one in the provider's console, set spend limits there, and can revoke it at any time.
Token
The unit AI providers bill by — roughly three-quarters of a word of text or code. Providers price input and output tokens separately, usually per million tokens. Generating a typical website costs cents to a few dollars in tokens.
Context window
The maximum amount of text (in tokens) a model can consider at once — the conversation, instructions, and code it can 'see'. Larger windows let an agent work on bigger projects without losing track.
System prompt
Standing instructions given to a model before any user input — defining its role, rules, and tools. An AI website builder's system prompt is a large part of what makes its agent reliable.
Go deeper: what is a BYOK AI website builder? · how to get an API key · FAQ