What is web hosting, what is a domain, and how are they different? You’ll need both web hosting and a domain to publish a website. Web hosting is the space your website occupies, and a domain is the address used to find that space.
There’s a lot more to understand about web hosting and domains if you want to publish a website. Let’s explore web hosting and domains so you can understand the differences — and how they connect.
What is web hosting?
A person working in a server room
Websites are hosted on specialized web servers, which are computers configured to run 24/7 that make your website files accessible to web browsers. The process of placing and storing website files on these servers is called web hosting.
A web hosting company builds these servers and rents space on them to people and businesses to use for creating websites. Using a web host is the ideal way to make a website, as creating your own web server is expensive and labor-intensive.
Good web hosting companies also provide:
- Security through programs like firewalls installed on their servers.
- Tools that speed up your site, like caching and content delivery networks, or CDNs.
- Technical support you can access 24/7 via phone, email or live chat if something goes wrong with your website.
They may also provide extras like email hosting so you can create email addresses at your domain.
Types of web hosting
The most popular types of web hosting are:
- Shared hosting, which stores several websites on a single server. This is the most affordable type of web hosting, but it isn’t suitable for high-traffic websites because sites share server resources — if traffic for one site spikes, others may experience slowdowns.
- WordPress hosting, where the company pre-installs WordPress and updates the CMS for you. This is often shared hosting with a slightly higher price because of the additional maintenance provided. Some companies offer WordPress-optimized VPS or cloud hosting.
- Website builder…
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