What Is The Difference between Web Hosting And Domain Name?

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is one of the prerequisites for building a website. Any website requires space on the internet server where it can be launched and its contents can be viewed by visitors. This space is provided through web hosting. The internet has multiple web hosting services. These service providers are simply known as web hosts. You need to purchase space on the internet to launch your website on their server. This server which will be running constantly will enable visitors to view your website on the internet 24x7. Here, we'll know web hosting and domain name in detail.

To understand it in simple terms, your website requires to rent a space on the internet to function and to be viewed, that space is provided by the web hosts. However, all hosting service providers differ from each other depending on the quality and type of service they provide in relation to the customer’s requirement. 

Different Types Of Web Hosting Services

Here is an extensive list of the different types of web hosting you can choose from in accordance with your need and utility. These services differ from each other in terms of bandwidth, cost, and storage space. So, you need to understand the difference, identify your need, and choose accordingly.

Shared Hosting 

If you are looking for the cheapest hosting option, shared hosting is the right choice for you. Shared hosting provides space not just to your website but to other websites on the same server at the same time simultaneously. Shared hosting is like sharing your rented space with someone else when you are out of budget and looking to cut costs. If your use is minimal and the target is not many visitors, shared hosting is a budget-friendly option for you. However, if you are targeting many visitors it may not suit your need as it’s a low-quality option recommended for small scale businesses.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)

Upgrading to a higher level, the VPS has something better to offer than shared hosting. Even though a single server is shared between many websites the VPS is special as a technology named virtualization intervenes which divides the single server into multiple virtual servers so, instead of one single server every website now has its own server and separate space. VPS server is a one-step upgraded version of shared hosting for better performance of the website. Learn more about VPS vs Shared Web Hosting in our previous blog.

Dedicated Hosting

If you don’t wish to share your server with other websites and desire to have it all by yourself then dedicated hosting will provide you with a server that is solely for your website. Dedicating hosting will enable your website to handle more visitors and also run faster and smoother. Dedicated hosting is one of the high end and expensive options that is recommended for heavy websites that has a lot of visitors generating heavy traffic on their website.

Managed Hosting

Standing above all in terms of performance and service Managed Hosting is also one of the high-end web hosting providers. Along with providing an entire server to your website managed hosting as the name suggests takes the responsibility of managing your entire server by taking care of other miscellaneous things related to your websites like updates administration and most importantly security. Managed hosting is a completely convenient and user-friendly option recommended for giant businesses.

What is a Domain Name?

Your website name is your domain name. It is the name officially registered for your website. For instance, when you type , YAHOO is the domain name of the website. A domain name is very essential as it may easily help a visitor locate your website on the internet through the web browser. Every website has an IP Address which is a series of numerals. However, it may be difficult to remember the numerals this is why domain names were created as it easily helps locate a website on the internet.

It’s a simple process. When the visitor types the domain name in the browser a request is sent to a database which is known as Domain Name System (DNS). The IP Address is then given by this database which goes to the hosting server through which you can then view the entire content of the given website.

Domain names can be in a combination of both numbers and letters. A single domain name cannot be used by multiple websites hence every domain name is unique as no other website is authorized to use the same name. There are multiple domain name extensions available. “.com” is the most common and prevalent domain name along with .net, .org, .in and many others. All these domain names have different prices and uses. .com yet remains the most credible domain name for any website. You can further change the domain name in WordPress in future if required.

Types Of Domain Names

Domain names can be further classified into different forms and every domain name has its own structure and consists of different levels. Some of them are higher in rank while others descend in rank accordingly on the DNS. To understand them better some details are listed below.

Top Level Domains (TLD)

Ranked first in the hierarchy, a top-level domain can be found towards the extreme end of the website name. For instance, www.yahoo.com, ” Com” is a Top Level Domain on the DNS as it can be seen on the extreme end of the name. Other TLD’s are gov, edu, etc. These domains take up the highest levels on the DNS.

Second Level Domains (SLD)

Ranked second in the hierarchy of domain names Second Level Domains are the names that are found on the left side of the TLD’s. For instance, at www.yahoo.com SLD is YAHOO as it is placed on the immediate left side of the TLD .i.e. com. In www.amazon.co.in the SLD is co as it is on the immediate left of TLD com.

Third Level Domains

Ranked third in the hierarchies of domains the Third Level Domains are quite limited as they are used occasionally. They fall on the immediate left of any SLD.

For instance, www.amazon.co.ae the Third Level Domain would be Amazon as it falls on the immediate left of co which is the SLD which eventually falls on the immediate left of TLD .ae.

Remember the pattern that whichever domain name is seen on the extreme right it remains a Top Level Domain Name. SLDs and Third Level Domains are the ones that are on their immediate left.

There is a two-letter country code reserved by every country for their domains. These domains are known as Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD). 

.ae for U.A.E., .uk for the United Kingdom, .in for India, etc.

After owning a domain name, Webhosting is important. Without buying a host your registered domain name cannot be viewed on the internet. You can find multiple websites who offer domain names and hosting services simultaneously. They have different packages that you can select according to your need.

Web Hosting vs Domain Name

Web hosting and domain name are two entirely different entities of a website. However, they work together simultaneously to run a website smoothly on the internet.

Every website requires certain files and content. Where web hosting is a place to house these files and contents of the website on the server, the access of these files can only be done through reaching out to the server where these files are located. A domain name is a name that directs the visitor to the server of these files and content. 

It wouldn’t be possible to directly access and view the files of the website without entering the domain name. Similarly, after entering the domain name the files and content of the website need a place for storage which is provided by the web hosting service. 

For instance, a shop owner has many items to sell but needs a space to store these items. That place can be called a store or a shop where these items are placed. On the internet, we name this store web hosting.

For customers to flock towards your store it needs to have a distinct name through which your store gets recognition and people find it easy to look up for your store through its name and address. That name and address of your online store is a domain name.

A domain name is just the registered name to direct towards the files and content and does not store any files but a web host does. 

Both web hosting and domain name work harmoniously to run a website smoothly.

From Where To Buy Web Hosting

The web is filled with myriads of options to choose from when it comes to selecting a web hosting. There are several web hosting providers who are extremely efficient in the business. However, which is the best web hosting service provider?

Before selecting a hosting provider there are two crucial things that need to be reviewed. The first is Bandwidth and the second is the cost.

 Selecting the best web host service provider and Picking the right option that befits your need and suits your requirement maybe your prime concern as a website owner. This certainly sounds like a task in itself. 

To make the job easy for you here’s a shortlist of the best web hosting service providers you can select from to build a good and responsive website. 

Blue Host 

Blue Host is amongst one of the best hosting providers. Users highly recommend them due to their affordability and high-quality hosting services. Their pricing starts from $2.75 per month for hosting, which includes a free domain. If your primary concern is WordPress, Bluehost stands out as the top recommendation for its single-click WordPress installation feature.

If you wish to look for some other good web hosting options then you can opt for Kinsta, DreamHost, InMotion Hosting, and Hostinger.

From Where To Buy Domain Name

Just like web hosting, you may come across several options from where you can buy your domain name. Here is a list of some high-quality domain name registrars.

NameCheap

With amazing features like personal data privacy and 24/7 support NameCheap is one of the best domain name registrars. The prices are extremely affordable as it only costs $8.88 per year for a .com domain. 

NameCheap is one of the best domain name registrars. However, there are other competitive options like Bluehost, Domain.com, Name.com, Enom.com, and GoDaddy. 

Conclusion

A domain name offers a web hosting service; similarly, a hosting service offers a domain name registration in their package. 

Either you go for the best hosting and buy a domain name from them or you opt for the best domain name registrars and buy hosting from them.

You can also buy both domain name and hosting differently from its prime providers instead of opting for a package. 

It is recommended that you buy a package as this bundle will be super convenient to you in terms of price. Furthermore, the company is going to connect the web host and domain name which means you will have everything configured for you.

If you opt to buy them separately you will have to face the trouble of connecting them both on your own. Even though the support team will always be at your disposal yet it is something you will have to manage all by yourself. Hence it is better to opt for a package that offers both for your own convenience.

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