What is the difference between hosting and domain?

If you are new to website building, you must have heard the terms hosting and domain used in various articles and guides about .

Both are essential elements of a website. In short, the domain name is the address of the site, while hosting or web hosting provides the space and resources necessary to get it up and running.

In this article, we cover everything you need to know about hosting and domain and what their differences are. Let us begin!.

Domain names and domain registration

A acts as an address that people use to find your website on the Internet. People will type it into the address bar of their web browser and thus access your site.

Each website and server on the Internet is assigned a series of numbers called IP adress. However, since it is difficult to memorize numbers, domain names were invented.

Generally, a domain name consists of a second level domain and a top level domain (TLD). Second level domains are words or phrases, while top level domains are the extensions that follow.

For example, in the case of Google comthe second level domain is Google Y .com is the TLD.

To get a domain name for your website, you need to register it first. Domain registration is the process of reserving a name on the Internet for a specified period. Normally, you have to renew the license once a year, but you can pay up to 10 years in advance to have the domain registered in your name. Today, it’s easy and fast.

Companies or organizations that sell and manage domain name registrations are called domain registrars. These are under the certification of the (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) the authority that coordinates and manages the domain databases on the Internet.

However, before moving on to domain registration, it is essential to check the availability of your custom domain. In , we offer a that can help you.

domain name checker

Immediately check the availability of the domain name.

There, the availability of the chosen domain and several will be displayed along with the prices. If the domain is taken, the domain checker will offer you alternatives to that name.

Once you see the one you want, just click the button Add to cart and then select the registration period. In the case of , we offer domain contracts from one to three years.

Types of domain extensions and prices

Domain extensions or Top Level Domains (TLDs) refer to the last part of a domain name.

As their name suggests, TLDs rank highest in the Internet’s (domain name system) hierarchy. There are hundreds of available on the net, which are regularly maintained and updated by the (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority).

The IANA classifies TLDs into four main categories based on their purpose and location:

gTLDs (generic top level domains). It is the most used domain name as it fits the purposes of any website. Includes the well-known .com, .org and , as well as other unique names like .X and Z, .biz Y .tech.
sTLDs (Sponsored Top Level Domains). These domains are restricted to certain organizations and groups. Some common examples are .gov for government sites, .edu for educational institutions and .post for postal services.
ccTLDs (country code top-level domains). Indicates a certain part of the territory or location under ISO codes. For example, .us for USA, .in for India, .it is for Spain and .id for Indonesian.
Infrastructure Top Level Domain. It consists of a single domain name, which is .harp, which represents the (Area of Addresses and Routing Parameters). This domain name is primarily reserved for solving Internet infrastructure problems.

If you want to register a domain name, it can be beneficial to know all your options to find the perfect extension. Below are some TLDs that offers along with their prices:

Domain extensionsPrice range.online€ 0.99.xyz€ 0.99.website€ 0.99.link€ 1.99.email€ 3.20.live€ 3.20.digital€ 3.49.es€ 6.99.com€ 7.99

There are many more extensions to choose from that we have not listed here as they are less commonly used, such as , .me and .info. To check if the extensions you want are available, simply use the domain checker.

Once you find a suitable option, it’s time to register it. To register a domain name with , click the button Add to cart next to the chosen domain.

Next, select the registration period and click Pay now.

Once you have purchased the domain name, complete the registration in the section Start of your hPanel. On the domain order configuration page, you will need to fill in the .

Hosting or web hosting

They allow you to publish your website on the Internet. Web hosting providers store your site data on their servers and send that information to your visitors’ web browsers when they type your domain name in the address bar.

They also provide beginner tools, so you can manage your website with little or no technical skills. Most hosting providers provide customer support, server maintenance, auto-installers, and website builders to help you manage your website more easily.

In addition to storing website files, a hosting provider protects your site’s server and files from malicious attacks.

Some web hosting companies, like , also offer domain registration to help you build a website even faster and more efficiently.

That said, it is important that you do your research when choosing a web hosting service. Some factors need to be considered.

Easy to use. All web hosts offer a control panel to manage your hosting account. Make sure that the control panel offered is easy to use and has extensive functionality.
Server speed and uptime. Choose a web hosting company that ensures fast loading speeds and offers an excellent uptime guarantee so your site has minimal downtime.
Prices and plans. Before purchasing a hosting plan, it’s a good idea to consider add-ons and renewal fees that fit your long-term budget.
Customer Service. Choose a hosting company that has a reliable support team with immediate assistance in case of technical problems.

uses LiteSpeed web servers to optimize site performance for users. Plus, we offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee and 24/7 global customer support to help you if you run into any technical difficulties.

Signing up with is very easy. You just have to enter your email and choose one of the available web hosting plans. In addition, we offer a 30-day money back guarantee in case you are not satisfied with the service.

Types of hosting and website prices

We have already learned about hosting and web domain, now let’s explore what types of hosting exist.

offers that are suitable for anyone who wants to create a website, be it a travel blog or an eCommerce store. Here’s a quick overview:

. Since €1.49 a €3.99 per monthShared hosting is where multiple websites share the same physical server and have a set amount of storage and resources. It is the cheapest option of all and is perfect for small businesses or personal websites.
. A physical server is virtually separated into multiple partitions, giving users a private environment with their dedicated resources. This type of hosting works very well for websites with medium-high traffic. VPS hosting plans range from €3.49 a €32.99 per month.
. It uses a cluster of different servers to host the website. When one server goes down, another server quickly steps in to keep the site up and running. Cloud hosting is the ideal solution for sites that need high availability, such as eCommerce stores. Starting prices range from €9.99 Y €69.99 per month.
. It provides an optimized environment, performance, and security for hosting WordPress sites. This hosting plan offers WordPress-specific and customization features, so you can easily manage and grow your site. WordPress hosting plans start from €1.99 a €9.99 per month.
. A web hosting service allows you to create personalized email addresses based on your domain name (such as anaperez@yourdomain.com). Pricing for email hosting plans ranges from €0.99 a €2.49 per month.

If you are just starting out, we recommend that you first opt for the shared hosting– It’s affordable, fully managed, and easy to use. You don’t need any technical knowledge as all the technical aspects of the backend will be managed by the team.

On the other hand, if you have some technical knowledge and want the freedom of managing a dedicated server, VPS Y cloud-hosting can also be good options. It all comes down to your budget and the type of website you want to create.

How do hosting and a domain work together to create a website?

Hosting and domain work hand in hand: Imagine that both your IP address and domain name act as your website address, and web hosting is the real house. Without web hosting, your websites cannot exist on the Internet.

After you get a domain name, you need to sync it and point it to your web host. To avoid too many problems, we recommend buying everything from the same place. That way, you don’t need to worry about linking them manually and you can start building your website right away.

Let’s briefly review the steps of how creating a website actually works:

Choose your domain name and check its availability using the domain checker. If everything is ok, register it.
Create your account on and choose the right hosting plan for your website.
Choose a platform to start building your site: a website builder, an eCommerce script, or a (content management system). , you have the option to use the or popular CMSs like wordpress.
Customize your website, upload files and add content. Finally, when you’re ready, publish it.

Frequent questions

Now that you have learned about hosting and domain, here are some frequently asked questions that may…