What is a domain name?
A domain name is the address of your website. For example, example.com is a domain name. People type it into a browser to find you. It works like the street address of a house.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the space where your website lives. Your site is made of files, such as text, pictures and code. These files must sit on a computer that is always switched on and connected to the internet. That computer is called a server. A hosting company, like Hostvento, rents you space on a server. Think of hosting as the plot of land where your house stands.
What is a website?
A website is the house itself. It is a group of pages, pictures and other files. Visitors open them in a browser such as Chrome or Firefox.
How the three work together
- You choose a domain name. This is the address.
- You get hosting. This is the land and the building space.
- You build your website and place its files on the hosting.
- You point the domain to the hosting. This link is made with DNS. DNS is like a phone book for the internet. It turns a website name into a number that computers understand.
- A visitor types your domain. DNS finds your server. The server sends back your pages.
Steps to get started
- Pick a short domain name that is easy to spell.
- Register the domain. Registering means you reserve the name for a set time, usually one year at a time.
- Order a hosting service that suits your site.
- Open your welcome email. It holds your login details and server information.
- Log in to your client area to manage your services and domains.
- Upload your site files, or install a tool such as WordPress. WordPress is a free program that helps you build a site without writing code.
- Check that your domain points to your hosting.
- Open your domain in a browser and see your site.
Tip: You can buy a domain and hosting from different companies. You then only need to change the domain's nameservers. Nameservers are the addresses that tell the internet where your hosting is. Your welcome email lists the right ones, or you can ask Hostvento support.
Common questions
- Do I need all three? Yes. Without a domain, people cannot find you easily. Without hosting, the site has no home.
- Can I change hosting later? Yes. You move your files and update the DNS.
- Need help? Open a support ticket.
Quick recap
- A domain is your website's address.
- Hosting is the space on a server where your files live.
- A website is the pages and files visitors see.
- DNS connects the domain to the hosting.
- You need all three to be online.