What is a domain name?
A domain name is the address you have to type into a browser to access your website.
Imagine your website as a house. Your domain name is the house's mailing address.
A more detailed explanation of a domain name requires you to know a little about IP addresses.
The Internet is a giant network of computers connected to each other. For easy identification of these computers, each one is assigned a series of numbers: the IP addresses.
The IP address is basically a combination of numbers separated by periods. For example, a typical IP address would be 66.255.34.1.
Computers can remember these IP addresses easily, unlike people. Multiply that by the large number of websites each person uses today and you will have a complex combination of IP addresses that a person must remember.
Thanks to domain names, visiting a website on the Internet is not a problem. You don't have to type numbers. You just have to type a domain name, such as platiniumhost.com, to access the website.
What is web hosting?
To understand the difference between a domain name and web hosting, you must understand what web hosting means.
Web hosting is the place where all your website's files reside.
You could consider web hosting as the house where your website lives. If the domain name is the mailing address, web hosting is the house. All websites require a web hosting service to function.
When someone types your domain name into their browser, the domain name is translated into the IP address of your web hosting company's computer. This computer holds your website's files, and it sends the necessary files to the browser of the user who typed your domain name.
Therefore, hosting companies serve websites and store their files.
Connection between domain name and hosting
Web hosting and domain names are different services, but they work together to make websites work.
A domain name system is a constantly updated address book. Each domain name has the address of the web hosting service that stores a website's files.
The domain name is necessary for people to access your website, and web hosting is necessary to create it. They are interrelated and both are required to have a website.
Do I need a domain name or web hosting to create my website?
Both a domain name and web hosting are essential to create a website.
When you buy a domain name, you acquire the right to use it for a specific period, usually for one year. You will then need a web hosting service to store your website's files. After obtaining said web hosting, you must update your domain name settings and have it point to the address of your web hosting service.
Can I buy web hosting and a domain name separately?
Yes. You can buy web hosting and domain name services from different companies. However, you will have to point your domain name to the web hosting company. You can do this by editing the DNS settings.
However, buying the domain name and web hosting from the same company is much simpler, since you will not have to change the domain name settings. You can easily manage and renew both services using the same control panel.
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