Understating Domains and Web Hosting
In the world of websites, domain names and hosting are two essential components that are crucial for launching a website. Both domain names and hosting are used to create a website, but they serve different purposes. Understanding the differences between these two concepts is crucial for anyone looking to launch a website. In this article, we will explain what a domain name is, what hosting is, and how they work together to create a website.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is a unique address that is used to identify a website on the internet. It is the address that people type into their web browser to access a website. For example, google.com is a domain name that people use to access the Google search engine.
Domain names are made up of two parts: the name and the extension. The name is the unique part of the domain name that identifies the website. For example, in google.com, “google” is the name. The extension is the part of the domain name that indicates the type of website it is. For example, in google.com, “.com” is the extension, which indicates that it is a commercial website.
There are many different types of domain extensions available, including .com, .org, .net, and many more. Some extensions are specific to certain countries, such as .uk for the United Kingdom and .au for Australia. When you register a domain name, you will need to choose an available name and extension that suits your needs.
What is hosting?
Hosting is the process of storing your website files on a server so that they can be accessed by people on the internet. A server is a powerful computer that is connected to the internet and is designed to store and serve files to other computers on the internet.
When you purchase hosting, you are essentially renting space on a server to store your website files. The hosting provider will take care of all the technical details of keeping your website online, such as server maintenance, security, and backups.
Just like renting a physical store to keep your merchandise and a physical location to display your products, you need a hosting service to display your website online.
Think of it this way: when you create a website, you need to store all of the website’s files, including images, text, and code, somewhere so that people can access it. Web hosting companies provide you with the space to store these files on their servers, which are powerful computers that are connected to the internet.
When you sign up for a hosting service, you are essentially renting a portion of the server’s storage and resources to store your website files. The hosting provider takes care of maintaining the server, ensuring that your website is accessible to visitors, and providing technical support if something goes wrong.
Just as you would pay rent for a physical store, you pay a monthly or annual fee for web hosting services. This fee covers the cost of using the server’s resources and the hosting provider’s services.
How do domain names and hosting work together?
Domain names and hosting work together to create a website. When you register a domain name, you will need to connect it to your hosting account so that people can access your website.
When someone types your domain name into their web browser, the browser sends a request to the server where your website is hosted. The server then sends the website files back to the browser, which displays them on the screen.
To connect your domain name to your hosting account, you will need to update your domain’s DNS (Domain Name System) settings. DNS is a system that translates domain names into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, which are used by computers to identify each other on the internet.
When you sign up for hosting, your hosting provider will give you the DNS settings that you need to update your domain name’s settings. You will need to update your domain’s settings with your hosting provider’s DNS settings so that your domain name points to your hosting account.
Once your domain name is connected to your hosting account, you can start uploading your website files to the server. Your hosting provider will provide you with an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) account, which you can use to upload your files to the server.
When you upload your website files to the server, they will be stored in a specific folder on the server. This folder is called the “root directory” or “public_html” folder. When someone types your domain name into their web browser, the browser will look for the files in the root directory and display them on the screen.
Conclusion
In conclusion, domain names and hosting are two essential components that are needed to create a website. A domain name is a unique address that identifies your website on the internet, while hosting is the process of storing your website files on a server so that they can be accessed.