Bail is an amount of money posted with the court as a sort of insurance that you will appear at all your court appearances and that you will follow all the orders of the court. You may also post 10% of the bail amount with a bail bond company (together with collateral). If you post cash bail with the court, you will receive all this money back at the end of your case. If you use a bail bond company, the 10% fee will not be paid back to you.