Domain Name vs Web Hosting: – A Frequently Asked Question is What is the difference between Domain Name and Web Hosting? and most beginners have no idea that these are two different things?
In other words, if your website was a house, Its address will be your domain name.
You’ll need three things to own a website: a domain name, web hosting, and a fully built website. But, what exactly is a domain name? What exactly is web hosting? Isn’t it the same thing?
Before you start building and hosting your first website, it’s important that you understand their differences. Domain Name and Web Hosting.
Domain Name vs Web Hosting: What is the Difference?
Table of Content:
- What is a Domain Name?
- What are TLDs (Top-Level Domains)?
- What are ccTLDs (country code top-level domains)?
- Regulations on ccTLDs:
- Domain vs Sub-domain:
- How Domain Name Registration Works:
- Who is running the domain registration process?
2. What is Web Hosting?
- Web Hosting vs Data Center:
- What’s the Link Between Web Hosting and Domain Names?
- Why do I need to create a website? A domain name or web hosting?
- Do I have to buy them all at the same time? Is it possible to purchase them separately?
- Is it Possible to Transfer My Domain Name to a New Company?
- Is it possible to switch my website to a different web hosting company without changing the domain?
What is a Domain Name?
What is the difference between a Domain Name and Web Hosting?
A domain name is the address of your website that visitors type into the URL bar of their browser to access.
Your website’s address is recognized as a domain. You must first register your domain with a domain registrar before you can create a website.
Once someone else has registered a name, you won’t be able to register it (governed by ICANN).
The Internet is essentially a vast network of computers linked together by cables.
Each computer is given a set of numbers known as an IP Address in order to make it easier to identify it.
Domain Name Example List: Typically, IP addresses look like this:
66.279.77.1
Now if you want to go to a website on the internet, you don’t have to type a string of numbers. Instead, type in a domain name that is easy to remember, such as nicheblink.com.
What are TLDs (Top-Level Domains)?
There is a hierarchy of names in the Domain Name System (DNS). Top-level domains (TLDs) are a collection of common names in the classification – COM, NET, ORG, EDU, INFO, BIZ, CO.UK, etc.
The official list of all top-level domains is maintained in the root zone database by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
Some TLDs are commonly seen –
BR, CA, CO, COM, EDU, ES, FR, UK, US, and so on.
Although the majority of these TLDs are available for public registration, some domain registrations are subject to strict rules.
Some extensions of these TLDs are used to describe the ‘features of the website – such as BIZ for Business, EDU for Education.
What are ccTLDs (country code top-level domains)?
Regulations on ccTLDs:
For users who wish to register a domain name option related to the country (such as “.us” or “.co.Uk”), a good part of the registration process will be dedicated to determining, whether the user is a resident. Or not of that country and is therefore legally permitted to purchase a top-level domain related to that country. And it should hammer the secondary point for consumers.
Although there are hundreds of available domain name suffixes (such as “.com” or “.net”, many of them require specific domain registration.
Domain vs Sub-domain:
Take, for example, mail.yahoo.com. – The domain is yahoo.com, and the subdomain is mail.yahoo.com in this situation.
A domain must be unique and registered with a domain registrar (such as Namecheap or Hover); however, users can freely add subdomains on top of existing domains as long as their web host supports it.
How Domain Name Registration Works:
From a user’s perspective, here’s how domain registration works.
Consider a suitable name for your website.
A domain name needs to be unique. Prepare a few variations – just in case the name is taken by others.
Go to search one of the registrars’ websites (ie. Bluehost).
If the domain name you selected is not taken, you can order it immediately.
The cost of registering a domain name varies from $10 to $35, depending on the TLD (usually using PayPal or a credit card).
The registration process is now complete.
Next, you need to specify your web hosting (by changing its DNS record) domain name.
Who is running the domain registration process?
The domain registration process is administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN.
This regulatory body acts as a global regulator of best practices for registrars, web hosts, and their clients.
According to the body’s standards, all users registering a domain name should be prepared to provide contact information for themselves, their organization, their business, and even their employer in certain cases.
How to Check Domain Name Availability:
There are a few options for checking whether the website name you desire is available. The simplest option is to enter the domain name you want to register into our search box, and we’ll let you know if it’s available. You may also use WHOIS LOOKUP to look up the domain.
Start by looking for the name you want if you already have one in mind. If the domain name you want isn’t available, we’ll show you our top picks for related, available domain names. Alternatively, if you don’t have a domain name in mind, simply type in keywords that define your website or project, hit search, and see what comes up.
Domain Name Example:
When referring to an Internet address or name, a domain or domain name refers to the location of a website. The domain name “google.com,” for example, resolves to the IP address “216.58.216.164.” A name is generally easier to recall than a big string of digits.
Examples:
- bigstuff.cornell.edu
- www.bigstuff.cornell.edu
- server3.dept.cornell.edu
- birdsource.org or sharedresearch.info or marysmith.us etc.
Other examples of domain names:
Google.com and Wikipedia.org are two other domain name examples. Using a domain name rather than a numeric IP address to designate a location on the Internet makes it much easier to remember and enter web addresses. Anybody can purchase a domain name.
What is Web Hosting? | Top 5 Hosting
Web hosting is where all the files on your website are located. It’s like the home of your website where it really lives.
Your domain name is converted into the IP address of your web hosting company’s machine when someone types it into a browser. This computer stores the files for your website and sends them to the users’ browsers.
Companies that specialize in web hosting store and serve websites.
They offer a variety of hosting plans to their customers.
A web hosting server is a computer that stores people’s websites. Imagine a house where you keep all of your things, but instead of clothes and furniture, you keep computer files (HTML, documents, photos, videos, and so on) in a web host.
The company that rents out their computer/servers to store your website and provide Internet connectivity so that other users can access the files on your website is referred to as “web hosting.”
Here are some of the extra services and features you can expect from your hosting company:
- Domain registration – This allows you to purchase and manage your domain as well as your hosting from the same company.
- Website builder – Develop a website using drag-and-drop web editing tools.
- To send and receive emails from email@yourdomain.com, email hosting is needed.
- Hardware (server setup) and software (basic) (CMS, server OS, etc) assistance
Top 5 Hosting Affiliate Programs:
1. SiteGround Affiliate Program.
2. Bluehost Affiliate Program:
3. WPEngine affiliate program:
4. Kinsta Web Hosting Affiliate Programs:
5. HostGator Affiliate Program:
You can Make money by web hosting affiliate program: There are 5 Best-Paid Web Hosting Affiliate Programs – Read More:
Web Hosting vs Data Center:
The data center is a room, a large building that can be equipped with redundant or backup power supply, redundant data communications links, and environmental controls.
What’s the Link Between Web Hosting and Domain Names?
People won’t be able to locate your website if you don’t have a domain name, and you won’t be able to create one if you don’t have web hosting.
Web hosting and domain names are two distinct utilities. They do, however, cooperate to make websites possible.
Basically, a domain name system is like a huge address book that is continuously modified. Behind each domain name, and address of the web hosting service saves website files
Why do I need to create a website? A domain name or web hosting?
You will need both a domain name and a web hosting account to create a website.
To store your website’s files, you’ll need web hosting. You must update your domain name settings and point it to your web hosting service provider once you have obtained hosting.
Do I have to buy them all at the same time? Is it possible to purchase them separately?
You can buy domain names and web hosting from two different companies. However, in this case, you need to modify your web hosting company’s DNS settings to point to your domain name.
If you get your domain name and web hosting from the same company, however, you won’t have to change your domain name settings.
It’s also a lot easier to handle and renew both programs from one location.
Is it Possible to Transfer My Domain Name to a New Company?
You can do it easily. Both companies have detailed step-by-step instructions that you can use to move your domain name.
When you register a domain name, you usually have the right to use it and move it to any place you choose.
Note: We suggest waiting at least 45 days after registering or renewing before transferring your account. If you switch your domain name before that time, you risk losing the renewal fee for that year.
Is it possible to switch my website to a different web hosting company without changing the domain?
You can transfer files and data from one host to another by simply transferring them. Then you’ll need to change your domain name settings to point to your new web hosting provider.
For instance, you bought your domain name from WordPress.com. You finally want to move to a self-hosted WordPress.org platform.
To begin, you’ll need to create a WordPress hosting account.
After that, you may move your WordPress.com account to WordPress.org.
Finally, go to WordPress.com and change your domain name settings to point to your new WordPress hosting provider.
Can subdomains have WWW?
When employing subdomains, the www prefix is usually avoided. You can create a vhost file and add this behavior to your domain setup if you wish to use the prefix with your subdomain.
It doesn’t really matter if you use “www” or not if you have a small website. “www” is a decent option for larger sites that want to take advantage of various subdomain layouts.
Why do we use www?
In fact, using WWW in URLs isn’t required. It serves only one purpose: to identify the address as that of a website. Other essential URL signifiers, such as a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server (FTP) or a news server (news), are not in this category. In the vast majority of circumstances, the WWW serves no technical purpose.
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