What’s the Difference Between a Domain Name and Web Hosting?
You’ve probably heard of hosting and domain names before. But are you aware of the differences between the two?
Although both are essential components of an online presence, they have very different functions. To get your website up and running, read on to learn everything you need to know about the difference between domain names and hosting.
What’s the difference between a domain name and web hosting?
In essence, the hosting is what is inside your store, while the domain name is the address. For people to find you and learn what you have to offer, you need both.
What is a domain name?
Your website is identified on the internet by its domain name, which is a distinctive address, a web address.
Your web address points users to particular webpages. For instance, if you type “www.example.com” into your browser will take you to the homepage of that website.
You can buy domains with keywords associated with your business or product so that people can find your site easily in search engine results pages (SERPs). Such as thegreatalmondbakery.com
Domain names also assist potential customers in finding your business online.
History of the Domain Name
Since the early days of the Internet, domain names have existed.
In order to organize domain names, Paul Mockapetris first introduced the domain name system (DNS) in 1983.
In addition to offering structure for the internet, domain names also improved its content.
In 1985, symbolics.com was the first .com domain name ever to be registered.
As more businesses went online, domain names gained in value because they now represented online stores, blogs, and other websites.
While organizations and private individuals were able to register domain names in the middle of the 1990s after Network Solutions became a registrar, initially domain name registrations were only available to government and educational institutions.
Can I have a domain name without hosting?
Yes, you can own a domain name without hosting.
This enables you to buy the desired domain name and own it outright without having a website linked to it.
Even if your domain doesn’t have any hosting attached to it, you still have control over its settings.
However, it’s crucial to remember that visitors won’t be able to access your domain through a web browser if it doesn’t have hosting because there won’t be anything for them to connect to online.
Additionally, if you go this route, you might miss out on features related to domains like domain-based email or domain privacy options.
Basically, purchasing a domain without hosting offers a cheap way to reserve your domain for future use.
Happy Camper provides domain name registration and a whole array of domain name extensions with easy setup.
How do I create a domain name?
The process of creating a domain name is simple.
Choosing a suitable domain name for your website is the first step.
Then, you search for, register, and maintain your domain name using a service like Happy Camper.
Domain Registration
The organization that offers domain registration services is known as a registrar.
This includes registering a domain name, managing domain name settings, and handling other administrative tasks related to keeping the registrant’s online properties in good standing.
You must first determine if the domain name you want to register is available.
Nearly 350 million domain names had been registered as of September 2022, and that number is increasing at a rate of nearly 1 million per month.
To check if your desired domain name is available, use our domain checker.
The final component is that you can choose from a variety of domain name extensions (.com).
Domain Extensions (TLDs)
The extension of your domain name can further define your site such as mysite.video or myblog.online.
These are called extensions or TLDs (Top Level Domains). In the early days there were only a few (.com, .org, .edu, etc) but now that list has grown to over 1200! Some even require credentials before you can purchase them such as the .pro extension.
While the .com extension is by far the most widely used (49.4% as of Dec 2022) the other extensions won’t hurt your SEO.
.com is what everyone thinks of and is easy to remember but an alternate extension might be the thing that stands out in everyone’s mind.
Happy Camper sells a large selection of extensions.
How much does a domain name cost?
A website’s domain name selection involves more than just price.
It’s a crucial choice because your domain name acts as a memorable label that can direct website visitors to you.
Although the price of domain names can vary, the majority of them can be registered for little money—typically $15 per year.
Some domain names may cost significantly more than this entry-level price depending on supply and demand.
Domain name registration is a simple process that typically only takes a few minutes to complete.
Finding the ideal domain name and then paying the associated fees are all that are required.
For information on registration and renewal costs, see our domain price list.
Find Your Domain Name
Your domain name is your address on the web.
Find one that shows who you are.
Use our domain checker to find your perfect domain name.
Do I have to pay for a domain every month?
The answer is no!
Your domain name can be registered for as little as one year or as much as ten years at once, so you pay for 1-10 years at a time.
You must renew your domain name if you want to keep it registered and reachable online after the domain registration period has passed.
Thanks to the low cost of domain name renewals, there’s no need to worry about spending more money than is absolutely necessary and with Happy Camper’s auto-renew feature you’ll never have to worry about losing your domain name due to it expiring.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the process of storing all of your website’s files so that anyone with internet access can access them.
Your web host stores the files that make up your website when someone views it.
Consider hosting as the actual location of all the data connected to your website; it contains all of the information required for users to access and engage with all of your content (images, videos, articles, etc.).
Unless you have a large eCommerce site, the majority of websites only use 1 to 1.5 GB, so you won’t need a lot of space.
Hosting companies offer additional services like email accounts and customer support, both of which are crucial for managing a successful online business, in addition to providing space for all of the files related to a website.
Additionally, they offer security tools like firewalls and malware scanners that shield customer data from dangers online.
Happy Camper offers all of these tools and features to give you the smoothest, safest and stress-free experience.
Can I have hosting without a domain name?
While the reverse is true, you can own a domain name and not have hosting, you can’t have hosting without a domain name.
The reason being is there needs to be an address to your web hosting (website).
Without a domain name the internet doesn’t know where to find your website.
The two go hand in hand and that’s why we provide domain name registration services along with web hosting so it’s all under one roof.
You can register your domain name somewhere else and point it to your web hosting but when you need to make changes you end up having to log into several different locations to do so.
Having everything in one place gives you a more stress free experience.
Do I have to pay for a domain every month?
If you already own your domain name then it’s just a matter of finding a great hosting plan.
We recommend that you don’t go with the cheapest plan you can find!
You want a hosting provider that provides all the technical features required to keep your site fast, safe and updated properly without having to spend an arm and a leg.
Cheap hosting is just that, cheap hosting.
Gaining peace of mind pays off handsomely in the end.
Which web hosting is best for beginners?
You can think of this question like learning to play an instrument.
In the very beginning you’re getting your feet wet and finding your way around your instrument.
You don’t know anything about it.
Imagine trying to learn to play guitar on a cheaply made instrument that went out of tune very quickly.
You’d think it was you that was doing something wrong, making it go out of tune, when in fact it was the cheap instrument.
If you start with a cheap, poorly made instrument it’s that much harder to get your footing and learn the basics.
We’re not saying go overboard and get the most expensive instrument but an instrument that is made properly with great quality will allow you to learn faster.
It’s the same with web hosting.
Some people will say go with the cheapest plan you can find until you know what you want.
This is backward thinking.
In the beginning you know nothing about security, firewalls, how to safely update, site speed, etc. and your web site pays for it by being slow or getting hacked or breaking from a bad plugin.
Only when you’re a seasoned veteran do you learn these things and so can navigate cheap hosting.
Quality hosting that is built right but is not crazy expensive will get you further faster as you’re not scouring the internet to find a solution to your slow or broken site and you can focus on the content of your site and not the technical side.
Happy Camper gives you that balance between amazing features and fair pricing.
Summary
Any successful online presence needs both a domain name and hosting, but these two things have very different functions.
Web hosting stores all of the files related to a website so that visitors can easily access them when they visit your site.
A domain name is a distinctive address used in URLs to direct users to specific webpages.
So when asking yourself “What’s the Difference Between a Domain Name and Hosting?” remember both need to work together and then customers will have no trouble finding your website and will have quick access to it once they arrive.
Happy Camper is the best choice for your domain registrations and web hosting because of the quality of our features and infrastructure.
Your only concern will be what to put on your website.
And we can help you with that too 🙂
