Web Hosting vs Domains vs DNS - what are the differences
Let’s break down Web Hosting vs Domains vs DNS and start demystifying them.
Since all these elements work hand-in-hand, it’s crucial to understand the differences between Web Hosting vs Domains vs DNS before creating a website, or pushing it live on the internet. This blog covers everything you need to know about domains, DNS, and web hosting – how they work and how they differ from each other.
DOMAINS
Definition: Domain Name
A domain name is a name for a network address on the internet. It is the name that a user types into a browser window to reach a particular website. Just like Apple’s domain name can be reached at “apple.com”.
The actual address of a website is a set of numbers known as an IP address (e.g. 123.21.222.0), but thanks to DNS (Domain Name Servers – more on that below), users are able to enter human-friendly names and be routed to the websites they are looking for.
How do domains work with hosting?
The main difference between a domain and web hosting is that your domain is the address, like www.example.com that’s all it is. This allows a visitor to easily find your website online, otherwise, it would just be a bunch of numbers which isn’t as easy to remember.
Those numbers are specifically called IP Addresses (more on that below) which in simple terms are just numerical labels assigned to every website and server on the internet.
IP Addresses aren’t as important to know in regards to domain names, because that’s the point of a domain name, to make it easier to find with a name, not just a bunch of IP Addresses.
Web Hosting
Definition: Web Hosting
This is simply the activity or business of providing storage space and access to websites.
Web hosting involves a person or company somewhere owning a server. Those servers store the files that comprise a website (images, all your HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc.) available for viewing online. Every website you’ve ever visited was hosted on a server.
Breaking down web hosting
Web hosting is where the website files are stored. It’s like your rent for your site to be live on the internet. That’s all that is.
These can be bought at different places. For instance, you can buy your domain from GoDaddy, and then have a HostGator web hosting package separately and link them up.
Or you could buy your domain from Google Domains And have a GoDaddy web hosting package and link them up after.
Or, to keep things a little more simple and more straightforward, they can both be bought from the same place and link up right away. These providers usually make that easy for you because you are buying it all from them as a package and it’s all integrated.
In order to have a functioning, live website on the internet, you need both – a domain and web hosting space. With each web hosting service, you will be given DNS settings, which help you connect all these things up, which I cover more in the next section below.
DNS
Definition: DNS
The Domain Name System (DNS) simply turns domain names into IP addresses (more on that below), which browsers like Google use to find and load internet pages.
DNS servers make it possible for people to input normal words into their browsers, such as “apple.com”, without having to keep track of the IP address for every website.
Web Hosting vs Domains vs DNS
DNS is only a part of your web hosting package. It is all the connections/records for your domain name to be easily found on the web hosting servers, hence the name, Domain Name System (DNS).
The DNS server settings on your phone, desktop computer, server, etc. are your gateway to the web. They convert your easy-to-remember domain names into the actual internet IP Addresses. This is kind of like your contacts app on your phone which converts the names of your contacts into actual phone numbers.
DNS records, such as an A Record, NS Records, CNAMEs, MX Records, etc. are contained within DNS records. Those all require their own explanation, which I have written out in a separate blog here.
IP Address
Definition: IP Address
An IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) is a unique string of characters that identifies each computer, such as a server, laptop, phone, etc. (e.g. 123.21.222.0)
IP stands for “Internet Protocol,” which is just the set of rules governing the format of data sent via the internet or local network. The internet needs a way to differentiate between different computers, servers, and websites. IP addresses provide a way of doing so and form an essential part of how the internet works.
Every device connected to the internet has its own IP address. An IP address is used by other devices to locate the device.
An IP Address is kind of like the digital world’s equivalent of a mailing address associated with your home or workplace.
As no one actually types IP addresses into a browser search field, we use domain names like Apple.com, Google.com, and Twitter.com. The Domain Name System or DNS ensures that requests on Search Engines like Google are made using domain names to reach the correct IP address.
IP address is the fundamental way that internet-connected devices are found on the web. This is how servers are found with websites stored on them, by their individual IP addresses and other devices.
Putting it all together
I hope this blog cleared up some things for you on DNS, Domains, and Web Hosting! I know it can get confusing in the beginning but once you move through it a few times it will all become much clearer.
The best way to grasp all of this is when you start connecting this all to what is actually happening in the physical universe.
You use your phone to connect to Google and search Apple.com for the latest iPhone. With the help of the Domain Name System, you can get connected to Apple’s IP Address by simply typing in their name, not the string of numbers it is actually. You get connected to their website, which is being hosted on their own servers. For a more common website, you’d probably be seeing the website which is on GoDaddy’s servers or Hostgator for instance.
Please let me know in the comments below if you have any questions and if this helped you at all in your marketing efforts, feel free to check out my other blogs, thank you!
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