When creating a website, there are two fundamental terms that should not be confused, although many users do. These are “domain” and “hosting,” which many people treat as the same concept, but they are not, even though they are related in use. Here’s what they are and their differences.
A domain is the name of the website, which consists of an IP address linked to the contracted hosting server.
Both terms have completely different definitions, functions, and uses. For example, a domain in short is the name of the website, which in our case is cuernosoft.com. This address is what users use to access our website. There are several tips for choosing a good domain name, and generally, this name should match the type of information to be shown, but it can also be a corporate or personal brand name, or any name the user wants for their site.
When creating a website, it’s essential to check among the vast list of existing pages if the desired domain name is available. Since it’s unique on the internet, it cannot be repeated, but variations of an existing name can be obtained.
But the name is the visible part of the domain, which actually masks an IP address, made up of a series of numbers that uniquely identify a page on the internet. This combination of numbers is difficult for users to remember or handle, so it’s replaced by the domain name. This translation from IP address to name is done through Domain Name System (DNS) servers.
On the other hand, there’s hosting, which is completely different. Once you have chosen the domain, hosting comes into play. Hosting is a server that stores the website, its images, videos, content, plugins, and everything needed for it to work in a web or mobile browser. The domain points to the hosting so that when someone types that address, the website (the files stored on the hosting) appears, which is why the domain must be linked to the web server.
Hostings are thus web storage services, and each company offers different types of plans with varying storage capacity, databases, email systems, and more. There are four main types of hosting:
–Shared hosting: hosts different sites on the same web server, and users who contract this service must share the server’s resources (CPU, processor, RAM, bandwidth, IP address, transfers) with others.
–Virtual Private Server (VPS): this server is virtually divided into several parts so each site uses its assigned resources without interfering with other sites. However, it’s still the same server for everyone, so it’s not dedicated hosting.
–Dedicated Server: this server is exclusively for a single website. All hardware, software, and connection resources are dedicated to one client, allowing full customization as needed.
-Cloud Hosting: this type of hosting divides projects among several servers, which are interconnected in the cloud, so the site isn’t hosted on just one server. If one fails, another immediately compensates for the problem.
With this explanation, you’ll no longer confuse a domain with hosting, and you’ll clearly understand the importance of both terms and how they work together when creating a website.
