In your eagerness to create your own website, you asked your friends how it is done and they might be saying words like domain name and web hosting to you. You might not know any of these terms but they are actually quite important to understand, especially for people who want to build their own websites.
In this article, I will go over everything you need to know about the domain name and web hosting.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is simply the main address of your website. Facebook is actually a domain name in and of itself, which is why when you want to access the popular social media platform, all you have to do is add the www- prefix and -.com suffix and hit enter.
So basically, your domain name is going to be your main address online and just like your physical address, you may have to register it in the proper channel.
People that want to establish their own website would have to register their domain name in a domain registrar.
Alternatively, you can register for a domain on a web hosting provider that offers such a feature. Speaking of web hosting provider…
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is basically where your website’s files will be placed inside a computer (known as a web server) and so long as that computer is operating, your website can be accessible online.
That being said, a web host is a company that owns plenty of servers and if you are signing up to their service, you are essentially renting a space on their servers so that your website can be put up online.
It is feasible for you to just pay for such services since server computers may require maintenance and upkeep- something that most users do not have the luxury of getting.
Why Do People Get Confused?
Now, you might be asking to yourself why people get confused about the two. Well, the basic explanation is that most web hosting providers nowadays actually offer free domains as part of their service. That is no wonder why people confuse one over the other, but if you really dig deep, they are entirely different services.
So basically, your domain name is the address that people go to online and the web host just provides you with the digital lot where you can establish your own website.
Now that you know the main differences between the two, it is important that you get a reliable hosting company- one that will satisfy all of your needs.
A blogger might not need unlimited bandwidth and storage, but business websites (particularly online shops) would want that so that they can cater to as many customers as they can.
Price, performance, security are all important considerations when looking for a web host. Aside from that, your domain name should also be catchy and unique and if you have an original idea, it is best that you get the domain as quickly as you can so that you can have it reserved just for you.