There are so many technical terms out there that we have to learn before we can start considering ourselves tech savvy. Among them, the difference between domain vs. hosting. These can be challenging terms for some, because even the more educated still use them interchangeably, when they’re anything but.
While domains and hosting are different, you need both in order to have a functioning website. Since both elements have to work hand-in-hand with each other, it is important to understand the differences between them as you move forward with the creation of your website.
What Is A Domain?
The domain, or more specifically the domain name, is the address of your website. This is what people would type into a browser’s URL bar in order to visit your website, Sivacreative.com for example. It is helpful to think of your website as your house, while your domain name is your home’s address.
Domain names were invented because humans have bad memories. The internet is basically a massive network of interconnected computers, each assigned a series of numbers called an IP (Internet Protocol) address. The IP address is a combination of numbers separated by periods and typically looks like 192.168.0.1 (although the numbers change depending on the device). Computers have no problem remembering those numbers because they’re… well, computers.
We’re not computers though. It is a struggle just to remember one long string of numbers. Remembering multiple IP addresses would be near impossible. Instead, domain names were created.
What is Hosting?
If your domain name is your address, web hosting is the physical house. Every website out there requires a host to store everything that makes that site work.
Types of hosting services do differ, like shared hosting where your data is stored on the same server as other clients’ info, or dedicated hosting where you’re paying for exclusive use of a server.
Either way, it’s essentially where your data is stored.
How Do They Work?
Domain names and hosting are two different things, but they work together to make a website go. When you enter a domain name, like sivacreative.com, into your browser’s URL bar, it is translated to the IP address that then points to where the website is hosted.
Essentially, without domain names, it wouldn’t be possible for visitors to get to your website. Without hosting, you cannot build a website for people to visit. In the battle between domain vs. hosting, neither would win.
When you register a domain name, you’re actually leasing it from the Internet Corporation for Names and Numbers, or ICANN. ICANN provides domains through approved registrars, like GoDaddy.com. Your registrar is your domain host and has its own associated fee.
A hosting service is a company that owns a bunch of pre-configured servers they lease out with different options and include instructions on how to point your domain to your hosting account. This all comes with its own cost above and beyond that of your domain host.
However, many domain registrars will also provide web hosting services as they’re so integral to each other. You may want to shop around regardless, to make sure you’re finding the right solution that fits your needs.
How Siva Creative Can Help
Siva provides web hosting services with a monthly or yearly fee structure. Our hosting package includes one website stored on a 5 gigabyte solid state drive (no moving parts means your data is that much more secure), unlimited bandwidth, free Secure Sockets Layer (SSL – the little lock in the URL bar that shows your site is secure) certification, daily backups, and even free migration from your old host to ours. certification, daily backups, and even free migration from your old host to ours.
We also work with domain registrars to get you the best available URL for your website.
Reach out to Siva Creative today so we can find the right solution for your website needs.