What is Domain name?
A domain name is an easy-to-remember address name of your website that people type in the browser’s URL in order to visit your website over the web or internet. It’s the unique name that appears after the @ sign in email addresses, and after www. in web addresses. For example, the email address mulombi@mulan.co.ke and the web address web address www.mulan.co.ke both have the domain name as mulan.co.ke.
Domain names are translated into special IP addresses by the help of domain name system. For instance, the domain name google.com might translate to the ip address 64.233.191.255. Using a domain name to identify a location on the Internet rather than the numeric IP address makes it much easier to remember and type web addresses.
How do you get a domain name?
Anyone can buy a domain name. The most straightforward way to do so is to visit a domain name registrar, such as A2, GoDaddy or Namecheap, key in the domain you want to buy, and pay a fee.
A domain name registrar is basically a business that handles the reservation of domain names as well as the assignment of IP addresses for those domain names.
What is Web Hosting?
A web hosting service is a type of Internet service that hosts websites for clients, i.e. it offers the facilities required for them to create and maintain a site and makes it accessible on the World Wide Web. It is like the home of your website where it actually lives. Companies providing web hosting services are sometimes called web hosts.
Example of Web hosting companies include Hostinger, Dreamhost, A2 Hosting, Hostgator, Bluehost, InMotion and Site Ground
You can also check on 7 Things to consider before choosing the best Web Hosting provider
Types of Web Hosting
There are four main types of web hosting which are Shared hosting, VPS (virtual private server) hosting, Dedicated hosting and Cloud hosting
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Shared Hosting: –
As the name implies, websites using shared hosting will be sharing resources with other websites on a single server. This works well because the vast majority of websites don’t need a whole server of their own. Shared hosting is the most basic type of web hosting. It’s cost-effective and the best choice for small or entry-level websites.
As such, each website on the server will have a limited amount of resources as defined by their specific hosting plan.
Think of it as renting an apartment with roommates. You have your own bedroom, but you and your roommates will share resources like water, electricity, and common spaces throughout the house.
The nature of sharing a server with other websites has its drawbacks. If another website on your server has a traffic spike, it can potentially cause performance issues with your site. These situations are out of your control
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VPS Hosting (virtual private server)
VPS stands for virtual private server. With a virtual private server, your website will still be sharing a single server with other websites. However, the number of websites you’ll be sharing it with is significantly lower.
The main server is split into multiple virtual server hence the name. These virtual servers can be customized by individual websites.
Your site will perform better due to having more resources. This means you’ll benefit from faster loading times and higher uptime rates. You won’t have to worry about another website causing your site to crash.
A virtual private server is like renting an apartment on your own. You won’t be sharing a kitchen, bathroom, living room, or other common spaces with any roommates. This gives you much more freedom and flexibility to do what you want with the space.However, you’ll be sharing some resources with the other units in the building. So there will still be some limitations.
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Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated servers are typically considered the best choice in web hosting. That’s because you have a dedicated server that belongs to you, and you alone. You typically get more benefits with dedicated hosting too such as more uptime and faster speeds.
However, it comes with a catch: This is the most expensive type of web hosting.
Since you won’t be sharing resources or anything else with other websites, your site will operate at peak performance.A dedicated server is like owning a house. If you want to build a fence, plant a tree in the yard, build a patio, or renovate the kitchen, everything is completely up to you.
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Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting employs a virtual server to host websites. In comparison, traditional web hosting services usually house one or multiple sites on one physical server.
Cloud hosting works through virtualization. It’s a technology that splits a physical server into multiple virtual machines called cloud servers. Then, these connect to create a single network for hosting a website.
With cloud servers, your website will have higher uptime rates and won’t have as much unexpected downtime due to server errors. Your site will remain fluid and perform at a high level.
How Domain Names and Web Hosting are Related?
Domain names and web hosting are two different services but they work together to make websites possible.
Basically a domain name system is like a massive address book that is constantly updated. Behind each domain name, there is an address of the web hosting service storing the website’s files.
Without domain names, it will not be possible for people to find your website and without web hosting you cannot build a website.
