How a domain differs from hosting, how the two connect, what virtual hosting includes, how it differs from a VDS and what you need to launch a website.
Contents
For a website to open for everyone, you need two things: a name people can find it by, and a computer that runs it around the clock. The name is the domain; the computer is the hosting.
A domain is the address of your website
A domain is a name such as example.com. It is registered for a set period and renewed when that period ends. While the domain is paid for, it belongs to you and nobody else can take it. You can check whether a name is available with the domain checker.
Hosting is where your website runs
Hosting is a server in a data centre. Your website files, database and email live on it. The server is permanently connected to the internet, engineers look after it, and the data is backed up.
A computer at home isn’t suitable for this: it gets switched off, home internet connections are unreliable, and the public address often changes.
How the two connect
When a visitor types in your website address, DNS — the “phone book of the internet” — tells their browser which server the website is on. To connect a domain to hosting, you set the domain’s DNS servers to the hosting’s DNS servers, or point it at the server’s IP address: How to point a domain at your hosting.
Types of hosting
| Type | What it is | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual hosting | space on a shared server with a ready-made control panel, email and SSL; the provider looks after the server | brochure websites, blogs, company websites, small shops |
| Cloud server (VDS, VPS) | your own virtual server with guaranteed resources and full access; you set it up yourself | projects that have outgrown shared hosting or need their own software |
| Dedicated server | a whole physical server | large projects with a heavy load |
For more on choosing between hosting and a VDS, see VDS or hosting: which to choose.
What virtual hosting includes
A typical virtual hosting plan includes the cPanel control panel, SSD disks, PHP from 7.3 to 8.5, MySQL and phpMyAdmin, email on your own domain with webmail, free SSL certificates, scheduled tasks, antivirus and daily backups. WordPress, Joomla and more than 400 other applications can be installed in one click.
What you need to launch a website
- A domain — register an available name with a domain registrar.
- Hosting — choose a plan from a hosting provider.
- The website itself — install WordPress in one click or upload a ready-made site: Getting started with cPanel.
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