Web hosting and Domain name is required if you are making a website. But what is web hosting and a domain name? Aren’t they the same?

It’s important that you know the difference between the two before you begin developing your first website.

What is a Web Hosting?

A web hosting is a computer where the websites are stored. Think of it as a house where you store all of your things; however instead of storing your clothes and furniture, you store your computer files(HTML, documents, images, videos, etc.)

Often, the term “web hosting” may refer to a company that lets you rent their computer/servers to store your website and provide Internet connectivity so that other users can access the files on your website.

For most cases, these hosting companies will handle server maintenance work, like backup, root configuration, maintenance, disaster recoveries and etc.

What's A Domain Name

A domain name is your website’s address. Before you will be able to setup your website, you will first need a domain.

To own a domain name, you would need to register it with a domain registrar.

Domain name is a strong of characters that give your website an identity. Some examples of domain names are Google.com, Alexa.com, Facebook.com, etc.

All domain names are unique. Meaning, there can be only one google.com in the world. You won’t be able to register a name once it is already registered by others.

Domain Name vs Web Hosting

A domain name is like the address of your home while the web hosting is the space of your house where you place your things.

Instead of street name and code, set of characters are used for naming your website. Computer hard disk and memory are used instead of wood and steel for storing and processing your data. 

Why the confusion?

One common reason why beginners are confused between the two is because the domain registration and web hosting services are usually offered by the same provider.

Nowadays, domain registrars offer website hosting services and most web hosting companies today have the facility to register a domain name for their customers. In fact, many hosting providers are giving free domain name to gain new customers.