Web Hosting vs Domain Name: Definition and Differences
Domain and hosting are the integral elements of your website.
A domain is the name of a website where people access and interact with you whereas web hosting is an account on a computer (a.k.a. server) that stores the website files and serves them via the internet.
In simple terms, a domain name is an address on which people can find your website on the internet whereas hosting is your website data that the host stores on their server and sends to your visitor’s web browsers when they search you on the internet.
What Is Web Hosting?
Source: Websitepulse.com
A service given by hosts that allows you to publish your site on the internet is hosting of website.
Your website data is stored by web service providers on their servers who send this information to the visitors when they type your domain name into the address bar and search you over the internet. It is virtually a shared space leased by you on a pre-configured server connected to a major internet network of high capacity.
Managing your website is not a herculean task for you because when you opt for a hosting company, your service provider offers you some user-friendly tools to manage your website with virtually no technical skills of the subject.
The customer support of your host along with the auto-installers, maintenance support, etc, would make your job easy to manage your website.
See Also: 7 of the Best VPS Hosting Providers
Types of Web Hosting and Pricing
There are various types of hosting services. Here is a view of different website hosting plan and the prices per month:
|
Type of Hosting |
Price |
|---|---|
|
Shared |
$0.99 to $3.99 per month |
|
VPS |
$3.95 to $29.50 per month |
|
Cloud |
$7.45 to $37.50 per month |
|
WordPress |
$2.15 to $14.95 per month |
Shared service is fully managed by the team of your web host, and is affordable, and easy to use. It is always good for you to go for shared hosting if you are a beginner.
You may opt for VPS or cloud hosting if you have some technical background and can manage a server that is dedicated to you. It gives you the choice to decide your budget and the kind of service you wish to go for.
Also check our The Most Impressive and Cheapest Web Hosting Per Year.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name functions exactly like an address for the people to find your web on the Internet.
Domain for a website is meant to identify one or more IP addresses. For example, the domain name microsoft.com represents more than a single IP address.
Types of Popular Domain Extensions and Pricing
Different domain extensions have different pricing and may be chosen as per the needs. The popular domain name and how they are priced for business branding is as under:
- .com - $9.99 per annum
- .net - $12.99 per annum
- .org - $11.49 per annum
- .co - $23.99 per annum
- .info - $3.79 per annum
How a Domain Name and Web Hosting Work Together?
The domain name and web hosting are different services but to make the functioning of the website possible both are instrumental for it. Without a domain name people can't find you and without hosting your website cannot be built and accessed.
Can I Use Any Domain Name with Any Web Hosting Service?
You can use any domain names with any hosting name available. But, if you choose it from the same provider there are chances of getting a lower price as compared to when you get from different service providers for the web-hosted for you.
Can I Have a Domain Name Without Hosting?
Yes, you can register your domain names with a domain registrar without hosting.
But, to make your name and website accessible across the internet, you need to select a host of website.
Conclusion
With the advancement and frequent usage of the terms domain and hosting in this era of the internet, still, a lot of confusion prevails in differentiating between domain names and web hosting. Both serve an integral function for building and making your website accessible to those who search for you, performing separate functions.
A judicious effort is made to understand the difference between web hosting and domain name and we hope this article helped you to understand the terms.
