What Is a Domain Name?

Domain name is the address that needs to be typed in a browser to access your website.

Imagine your website is like a house. Your domain name is the street address of the house.

A more detailed explanation about domain name requires you to know a bit about IP addresses.

The internet is a giant network of computers connected through cables to each other. For easy identification of these computers, each one is assigned a series of numbers, these are the IP addresses.

The IP address is basically a combination of numbers separated by dots. A typical IP address looks like 66.255.34.1.

Computers can remember these IP Addresses easily, unlike humans. Multiply that by the huge number of websites that every human being uses these days, and you have a complex combination of IP addresses that a person needs to remember.

With a domain name, visiting a website on the internet will not be a problem. You don’t have to type a string of numbers. You just need to type in the easy-to-remember domain name, like platiniumhost.com, to access the website.

What Is Web Hosting?

To understand the difference between domain name and web hosting, you need to understand what web hosting actually means.

Web hosting is where all the files of your website reside.

Web hosting can be thought of as the house where your website actually lives. If the domain name is the address, the web hosting is the house itself. All websites require web hosting for them to work.

When someone types your domain name in their browser, the domain name gets translated to the IP address of your web hosting company’s computer. This computer is the location of your website files, and it sends the necessary files back to the browser of the user who typed in the domain name.

Thus, web hosting companies serve websites and store their files.

Connection Between Domain Name and Web Hosting

Web hosting and domain names are different services, but they work together to run websites.

A domain name system is an address book that is updated constantly. Each domain name has an address of the web hosting service which stores the files of a website.

The domain name is necessary for people to access your website, and the web hosting is needed to build it. They are interrelated and both are required to run a website successfully.

Do I Need a Domain Name or Web Hosting To Build My Website?

Domain names and web hosting are both crucial to build a website.

When you buy a domain name, you get the right to use it for a specific period of time, usually one year. You will then need a web hosting service to store your website files. After obtaining the web hosting, update your domain name settings and point it to the address of your web hosting service.

Can I Buy Web Hosting and Domain Name Separately?

Yes. You can buy web hosting services and domain name from different companies. You will, however, have to point your domain name to the web hosting company. You can do so by editing the DNS settings.

However, purchasing domain name and web hosting from the same company is comparatively easier, as you will not have to change the domain name settings in this case. You can easily manage and renew both services using the same dashboard.