What’s the Difference between Domain and Hosting?

Do you want to know the difference between domain and hosting? What is a domain, what is hosting, and how are they different?

A domain name and web hosting are two things that are required together to set up a website. They’re often confused right when starting out because you need both of them to get started.

What is a Domain Name?

A Domain name is your website’s address on the internet where people can access your website. It’s the text that internet users type in the browser’s URL bar to visit your site.

What is Web Hosting?

Web Hosting is the storage location where your website content files live. It’s like the home of your website.

If your domain name was the address of your house, then the actual house is your hosting server. You need both a domain name and web hosting to create a website.

When a user tries to access your website by entering your web address (domain name) in the browser’s URL bar, the domain name points them to the files stored in the web server.

Domain Name vs Web Hosting

Domain names and web hosting are two different things; however, they’re closely connected. You need both a domain name and a web hosting account to create a website. This means that you can’t build a website without either one of them.

To get started, you can choose a domain name and register it with a domain registrar company. With most domain companies, you can register a domain name for a minimum period of 1 year. You’ll then need to renew your domain before it expires to continue using it.

Next, you can buy a hosting plan and link it with your domain name. After that, you can install website software (Example:  Word Press/Open Cart/Prestashop etc), install tools and plugins, and add content to your website.

Can I Buy Domain and Hosting from the Same Company?

Yes, you can. You can buy a domain and a hosting account from the same company or from different companies.

If you buy both a domain and hosting from the same company, the setup process becomes a bit easier as you don’t need to change the domain name settings. That is why many companies have started offering both the services together.

Paul Cloud Host is one of such companies that offer both domain and hosting services at a reasonable cost.