Web Hosting Versus Domain Name – All The Facts Explained

Two of the most important parts of having a website are web hosting and domain name. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they are two different things. A domain name identifies a website on the internet. It is what users type into their browser to access a website. Web hosting is the service that provides space on a server to store a website’s files and allows it to be accessible on the internet. Think of web hosting as the house your website lives in, and the domain name is its address. In this blog we are going to look at web hosting versus domain names, how they differ and why each is essential for your website.

What is Web Hosting?

When you create a website, you need a place to store its data and files so users can access them.

By signing up for a web hosting package, your site’s files will be on a physical server, and you rent space on that server so users can access and load them when they want to view your site.

Aside from providing server space, web hosting also provides resources such as bandwidth, customer support, databases and security needed to keep a website running. A hosting provider will also maintain the physical servers where your site’s files and data are stored, protect them from data breaches and attacks and make sure the servers stay up and running so your website does too.

There are several types of web hosting available, including:

Managed Web Hosting

Where a hosting provider takes care of the technical side of hosting including managing servers, backups and updates, website and server security, and dedicated customer support.

cPanel Web Hosting

cPanel hosting allows website owners to manage their websites, email accounts, files, and databases from a single control panel. cPanel Web Hosting from Hosted.com makes it easy to manage your website without technical coding knowledge.

WordPress Hosting

Specifically optimized for websites created using the WordPress platform and caters to the requirements of WordPress sites for performance, security, and ease of use. WordPress Hosting offers features like 1-click installs, WordPress Toolkit, automatic backups and more. Click the link to explore Hosted.com’s range of WordPress Hosting options.

Email Hosting

Used specifically to manage email accounts. Usually included with web hosting plans, Email Hosting provides professional, custom email address with their domain name to send and receive emails along with spam, malware, and virus protection.

What is a Domain Name?

Servers and browsers use IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to communicate with and direct browsers to a website. These IP addresses consist of a unique sequence of numbers separated by periods, for example 192.158.1.38.

Those numbers work perfectly for computers, but it’s difficult for people to remember them. That’s where domain names come in. A domain name is the unique address of your website, such as “yoursite.com.” When a user enters your domain name into their web browser, it points it to your website.

To get a domain name for your website, you must create one and register it. When choosing the perfect domain name, you should ensure that it represents your brand, includes your business’s name and is easy to remember. Secondly, you need to make sure that it hasn’t already been taken, so once you have one in mind, check its availability.

Once you have completed the registration, you own the domain.

How Web Hosting and a Domain Name Work Together

Now that we’ve covered what web hosting and domain names are and how they differ, let’s look at how they work together.

As discussed above, web hosting and domain names are essential to making a website accessible on the internet. Here are how they work together:

Once you have chosen and registered your domain name, your website has an address that points to the hosting server.

When someone types your domain name into their web browser, the browser uses your site’s IP address to communicate with the hosting server.

A query is sent to a Domain Name Server (DNS), which sends it to the specific server where your website’s files and data are stored and returns with the domain name for the website. Once the connection is made, the website’s content stored on the hosting server loads in the user’s browser.

This all happens in milliseconds giving the appearance of the process being instant.

Hosted.com’s simple and easy to use managed cPanel, WordPress and Email Hosting packages include free domain name registration*, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates to secure your site, and dedicated customer support. Backed by LiteSpeed Webservers, SSD storage and a 99.9% uptime guarantee giving you fast, stable, and secure website hosting.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Domain names are the addresses that point to servers where website files and data are stored.
2. Web hosting provides the infrastructure and resources to store a website.
3. Domain names and hosting work together to allow websites to be found and accessed on the internet.

FAQs

Other Blogs of Interest:

– What Next After a Domain Name Purchase? Follow these 6 Easy Steps

– How to Buy an Expired Domain

– International Domain Name Registration: What You Should Know

– Five Best cPanel Alternatives for Managing Websites in 2024

– Web Hosting Comparison: A Complete Guide