The Domain name and Web-hosting go well together and one cannot operate without the other. Since both of these are operated similarly, does not mean that both are the same thing. People often get confused with these two words and their meaning too.
Some famous web-hosting services like Godaddy or Bigrock provide its users with their domain name. The domain name is owned by people who are into online businesses, blogging, freelancing, content writings, and other kinds of stuff.
Domain Name vs Web Hosting
The main difference between a domain name and web hosting services is that a domain name is leasing a human-readable word whereas web-hosting is for storing the websites through internet. This is the one of the things that makes the difference between the two.
Well, web hosting, on the other hand, is a place where all the files of your website are kept. In other words, we can say that web-hosting is like a home of your website where the files live actually. But, the question again arises is that what is the actual difference between the two?
Comparison Table Between Domain Name and Web-Hosting
| Parameters of Comparison | Domain Name | Web-Hosting |
| Meaning | A domain name is a name that gives the identification of a website. | As the name suggests it means hosting a website. Web-hosting helps the files available for viewing. |
| Purpose | Domain name recognizes internet resources such as computers, networks, and services. | Web Hosting gives you the option to publish your website on the internet. |
| Examples | Facebook’s domain name will be Facebook.com | Shared hosting, VPS hosting, WordPress hosting are some examples. |
| Internet Requirement | Yes | Yes |
| User-Friendly | Easy to manage and renew | Easy to manage and renew |
| Transfer | Domain name can be transferred | You can transfer your new web-hosting account via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). |
What is Domain Name?
The simple definition of ‘domain name’ is that it is the address of your website that the users type in the URL bar to visit the particular website. In simple words, we can understand with a simple example, say if your website was a house, then its address will be your domain name.
Now, most people get confused about what domain name is? So, there is nothing to be confused about because domain name is completely different from web-hosting. You might notice in the internet everything that has a .com extension in the end is a domain name.
One of the examples I have mentioned above already. Say we take Facebook where Facebook’s domain name is Facebook.com. The .com after the word ‘Facebook’ implies the domain name of Facebook.
Now, for beginners who do not know how to purchase a domain name here, it is. A domain name can be purchased by a domain name registrar. Some of the most popular domain name registrars are Godaddy, Namecheap, Bigrock, and many others. Godaddy web-hosting company will give you a free domain name, so you can now check how it works.
What is Web-Hosting?
In simple words let me explain what Web-hosting is: it is the place where the files of your website live. In other words, it is like the home of your website as I have mentioned earlier too. Domain name is the address of your house and the web-hosting is the actual house that the address directs to.
For people who have a question in their mind that whether do we need a web-hosting service or not? The answer is YES! because all websites that are present on the Internet need the web-hosting service.
Well, bloggers who uses blogger.com can understand what a domain name is and how it works. When a user enters a domain name in a browser, then the domain name which has been entered is then interpreted into an IP address. The computer that containing your website’s files is then sent to the browser of an user.
You can try a web-hosting free service in Godaddy itself. It is the most used application for entrepreneurs who wants to build up a business online. Well, if you do not want to opt for Godaddy then there are alternatives too. Some of them are Inmotion Hosting, Hostinger, Cloudways, Hostgator, Bluehost, and many others. However, purchasing a web-host is not always necessary after all it all depends upon the uses of the users.
Main Differences Between Domain Name and Web-Hosting
- A Domain name is the address of your website that someone types in the URL bar whereas a web-hosting is the place where all your files of your website live. In other words, it is the home of your files.
- Web-hosting is the place where the files are stored physically, and a domain name is the address of the location of that file.
- One cannot create a website without first purchasing a domain name until and unless if you are doing it for free, though you can have a domain name even without creating a website.
- However, to build a website of your own you will need to create both domain name and web-hosting account.
- Since the functions of the two are different one can purchase domain name and web-hosting from two different companies. But, then you will need to make sure that you point your domain name to the web-hosting company.
Conclusion
People need to note that domain name and web-hosting are completely two different things. If you are an individual entrepreneur and want to globalize your business then purchasing a domain name and web-host will definitely be an advantage for you.
The easiest way to start your own domain name and web-hosting, I would recommend you to use Bluehost. It is a well-known web host that lets you buy a domain name. Bluehost also offers a free domain name to the new users for one year which I think is great for them to learn.
Bloggers using free blogging services like blogger.com needs to make a domain name of their own and it is compulsory but web-hosting is not. However, these tools are very easy and simple to use and users can even renew it easily without any kind of hassle.
References
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137483591_4
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3308558.3313664