Nowadays, online businesses are increasing day by day and local businesses are moving towards growing in the internet space and serving a larger range of customers. The first step for globalization and the entry of businesses into the world of the Internet is to build a suitable website that introduces the products and services of that business to users and allows many users to visit the site and use its products and content.
One of the concepts that you will face in website design is the concepts of domain and domain. Although these two concepts are very close and related, they have fundamental differences. Many people mistakenly consider these two concepts to be the same. In this article, we will explain each one and explain their main difference. So stay with us.
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What is a host?
Web hosting is a service that makes your website or web application accessible to other users on the Internet. When you sign up for a hosting service, you are actually renting some physical server space where you can store all the files and website content such as HTML, CSS, images, and databases to serve to users. Can be viewed online.
What is a server?
A server is a physical computer that runs without any interruption so that your website is always available to anyone who wants to see it. In other words, a server is a computer that connects other web users from anywhere in the world to your site.
Why do you need hosting?
Now that you know what hosting is, let’s talk about why it is so important to have hosting, and its benefits.
First of all, hosting services give you technical support to keep your website up and running. They also help your website load fast and fully and support your site.
In short, they will ensure that the website is as “uptime” as possible. Uptime is a number that is displayed as a percentage and shows how long the host is working successfully. The host you choose should have the maximum possible uptime up to 100%. To better understand the importance of this issue, it is interesting to know that in 2013, Amazon went offline for only 40 minutes. The company lost five million dollars at that time alone.
In some cases, hosting companies will help you automatically update and install new software.
These companies also provide backup services for your data and website. This means that, even if your site gets hacked or crashed, you can quickly restore your website without losing too much data.
In addition to helping ensure that your website is as up-to-date as possible, hosting services also offer excellent security. They also scan your site for viruses, help you identify suspicious activity, and even block certain IP addresses. Remember, hosting services also have many additional features and plugins that you can choose from. It allows you to customize your website in data management.
How does hosting work?
When you decide to start a new website, you need to find a hosting provider that will provide your server space. After purchasing a host, all your files and databases will be stored on the server. Whenever someone types your domain name into their browser’s address bar, your host transfers all the files necessary to serve that request.
You should choose a hosting plan that suits your needs. In fact, it is similar to renting a house, and since the server is working continuously, you have to pay the rent regularly.
Let’s use a simple analogy: choosing the right hosting is like looking for the right business unit for your company. To buy a business unit, you pay attention to these points:
- Does the space of this unit suit your needs?
- Are you going to expand your unit in the future or not?
- Will many people come and go to your unit?
- Do you want to rent the whole building or a part of it?
- How is access to different rooms?
- What facilities does this business unit include? (For example, whiteboard, high-speed internet, etc.)
These considerations will determine your needs and help you choose which type of office is right for you. Let’s compare this selection process to deciding whether web hosting is right for you. But before that, we need to get acquainted with the types of hosts.
There are types
Most hosting providers offer different types of hosting to meet the needs of different customers. With any type of website, from a personal blog to a large business website, you can choose the right host from the various options that exist:
- Shared hosting
- Semi-dedicated or virtual VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting
- Cloud hosting
- WordPress hosting
- Dedicated hosting
Shared hosting
These types of hosting are the most common and are a great solution for most small businesses and personal blogs. With these hosts, you share a server with other clients. In fact, websites that subscribe to a server share all its resources, such as memory, computing power, disk space, and other things.
Advantages:
- Low cost, great for online small business websites
- It does not require special technical knowledge.
- Pre-configured server options
- Low maintenance cost
Disadvantages:
- You will have little control over server settings.
- With the increase in traffic on other websites, the speed of your website can decrease.
VPS hosting
When you use a VPS hosting or virtual hosting, you are still sharing a server with other users. However, you are allocated a completely separate partition on that server. This means you get a dedicated server space and a saved amount of resources and memory. VPS hosting can be very suitable for medium-sized businesses.
Advantages:
- Dedicated server space
- Increasing traffic on other websites does not affect your performance.
- Access to server settings
Disadvantages:
- More expensive than shared hosting
- Technical knowledge and server management is a must.
Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting is currently one of the most reliable types of hosting in the market. With cloud hosting, your files and resources are stored on a set of servers, not just one server. When one of the cloud servers is busy or has a problem, your traffic is automatically redirected to another server. As a result, your site won’t slow down, which is great for high-traffic websites.
Advantages:
- Information security from physical server problems
- Regular backup
- Uses resources optimally.
- More stability and better performance
Disadvantages:
- Relatively expensive price
- You cannot access your data without an internet connection.
- The risk of information being hacked
WordPress hosting
WordPress hosting is a special type of shared hosting created for WordPress site owners. The server of this host is configured specifically for WordPress and your site comes with pre-installed plugins for important tasks such as storage and security.
Due to the highly optimized configuration, your site will load much faster and will face fewer problems.
Advantages:
- Low cost and beginner friendly
- Install WordPress with one click
- Good performance for WordPress sites
- Pre-installed WordPress plugins and themes
Disadvantages:
- Only recommended for WordPress sites.
- It can become a problem if you want to host more than one website on your server.
Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting means you have your own physical server dedicated only to your website. So, you will be free to manage your website. You can configure your server to your liking, choose the operating system and software you want to use, and adjust the entire hosting environment according to your needs. This is usually geared towards large online businesses that deal with a lot of traffic.
Advantages:
- Full control over server configuration
- High reliability and reliability
- Full access to the server
Disadvantages:
- Expensive, tends more toward larger jobs.
- Technical knowledge and server management is a must.
How to choose the right host?
Choosing the right and reliable hosting service provider is an important step in website design, especially if you are running a business website. Hosting companies not only connect your site to the Internet, but also provide services related to the management of these servers and software, support, bandwidth, speed, etc. To choose the right host, you should consider the following:
Speed
Site speed can affect user experience. About 40% of visitors expect a website to load in less than three seconds and leave the site if it takes longer than that.
Be sure to choose hosting companies that offer fast servers and this can increase the speed of your website.
Also, try to look for hosting providers with data center addresses close to your visitors, as this will help your website pages load faster for them. You can use tools like GCP Ping to measure the effect of distance on loading speed.
Support for site programming languages
Websites are designed using programming languages. The type of programming language supported varies depending on the operating systems or types of servers a hosting company uses.
For example, a Windows-based host may support ASP, Active PERL, PHP, Python, SSI, Apache Tomcat, and some others.
A Linux-based host may support similar languages such as PHP, but may not support JAVA, ASP, or JSP, or certain Windows-related components.
Determine the language in which your site will be built and make sure that this language is supported by the host.
Scalability
Scalability is a fundamental thing that you should consider when choosing a hosting provider. With the growth of your business, you will face an increase in site traffic, purchases, etc. You will also realize over time that new features and capabilities may be needed to maintain the same level of service or provide new services to your customers.
It is important to know that the hosting company you choose is capable of scaling for your business. Here are some things you should consider when comparing hosting plans and web hosting companies: Variety in hosting plans offered – Memory – Bandwidth
Performance
Choose a reliable host that has an uptime guarantee. Many hosting companies report 9.99% uptime. This means that these servers work successfully 99.9% of the time.
Security
Site owners should choose a host that provides the necessary security features to keep their websites safe. Keep in mind that the security tools needed also depend on the type of website you have. For example, if you build a site on WordPress, it would be useful to have a spam prevention tool to remove unwanted comments on the page.
Make sure that the hosting service provider provides SSL certificates to protect the data and personal information of visitors.
Plugins
Sometimes a website needs additional tools or services to improve its performance. So, choose a host that offers a range of add-ons such as antivirus software, email accounts, content delivery networks (CDNs) or extra bandwidth and storage space.
Support
For beginners with no web development experience, choose hosting providers with 24/7 support. This allows website owners to get help from experts in case of technical problems. A hosting company should also provide an extensive knowledge base or educational blog to help users learn about various web-related topics.
Cost
Remember that website hosting is an ongoing expense, so it’s important to spend time researching the service that offers the best value for your money. If you are still unsure about purchasing hosting services, try to find a host that has a money back guarantee. It allows you to request a refund if you are dissatisfied with the service.
What is a domain?
The domain name is actually the address of your website that people type in the URL bar of the browser to see your website. Simply put, if your website were a house, your domain name would be its address.
More detailed explanation:
The Internet is a huge network where computers are connected to each other through the global network. Any computer on this network can communicate with other computers. To identify them, each computer is assigned an IP address. This address consists of a string of numbers that identifies a particular computer on the Internet. A typical IP address looks like this:
66.249.66.1
But remembering an IP address is very difficult. Imagine having to use these numbers to visit your favorite websites. It will definitely be difficult. Domain names were invented to solve this problem.
Now you don’t need to enter a long string of numbers if you want to visit a website. Instead, you can visit it by typing an easy-to-remember domain name into your browser’s address bar
Differences between host and domain
Domain and hosting are two different things. However, they are very close. You need both domain and hosting to create a website. That means you cannot create your website without any of them.
If a domain name is like your physical address, hosting is like a physical building and the contents stored in it.
Domain name is a completely digital concept and it is actually an address that users will connect to your site by typing it in the address bar of their browser.
But hosting is a little different because it requires a physical server located somewhere in the world and connected to the Internet. It’s basically like a computer hard drive that stores all your website files and databases.
The main differences between domain and hosting is that hosting is where your website files are physically stored, while domain is the address where it is stored.
What is the Domain Name System (DNS)?
To understand how domains work, you need to know about DNS. The Domain Name System (DNS) is a technical process by which domain names (example.com) are translated to their corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (208.109.80.196). As we mentioned earlier, every website has a complex string of numbers and letters known as an IP address, which computers use to provide a web address to an end user.
While humans use words, letters, and numbers to navigate to a specific website, the Internet uses IP addresses to identify the location of a web page. In fact, DNS is a database of domain names and their IP addresses.
When you type in your desired domain name or URL, behind the scenes DNS finds the correct IP address of the site and then connects you to the website.
How does the domain work?
When you type a domain name into your browser, it first sends your request to the global network of servers that make up the Domain Name System (DNS).
These servers then look for name servers associated with the domain and forward the request to those name servers.
For example, if your website is hosted at hosting company X, its name server information will look like this:
ns1.X.com
ns2.X.com
These are the computer name servers managed by your hosting companies. Your host sends your request to the computer where your website is stored.
This computer is called a web server. Then the web server receives the web page and the information about it and finally, it sends this data to the browser.
What are the parts of a domain name?
The domain name consists of 2 parts:
- SLD (Second Level Domain): SLD means that part of your domain name that can be customized and you choose based on the topic and content of the site, or the field of business and brand name.
- TLD (Top Level Domain): The top level domain or TLD is placed at the end of the domain name, after the dot, which is also known as the domain extension. The domain extension can be “com”, “.biz”, “.net”, “.org”, “.gov.” and… Be But “com.” It is the most popular and well-known.
Types of TLDs
Generic-Top-Level-Domain (gTLD)
gTLDs are the most commonly used type of TLD and examples of gTLDs include com, .net, .org. and edu. Are. The purpose of gTLDs is to represent the purpose of a website. Like the commercial use of “com.” or “edu” educational goals.
Country-code top-level domain (ccTLD)
Domain names can use the ccTLD to indicate the country in which the website is registered.
Sponsored top-level domain (sTLD)
A sponsored sTLD is a category of TLD that has a sponsor that represents the specific community represented by the domain extension. For example, edu. For organizations related to education, gov. For government departments.
Other types of domain names
Although the aforementioned domain name categories are the most numerous, there are other types that you must have come across.
Third-Level Domains
These domains are directly below the top-level domain name. We don’t want to get too technical here because it’s easier to illustrate with an example.
For example, English companies sometimes use “com.” instead of “com.” from “co.uk.” use. Another second level domain is “gov.uk.” is often used by government agencies and “ac.uk.” which is used by academic institutions and universities.
Subdomains
Subdomains are used to create divisions on the site. Webmasters do not need to purchase an additional domain name to create a subdomain that effectively points to a specific directory on the server. Instead, they can use subdomains for this.
For example, Facebook uses developers.facebook.com to provide certain information to web and app developers who want to use Facebook’s API. Another great example is support.google.com.
How to choose the right domain name for the site?
You need a lot of creativity to choose the right domain name for your site. It is difficult to find a good domain name that is not already registered. Due to the large number of websites on the Internet, most of the names you will come across, especially in the com space. Probably already taken.
However, it is important to find a name that is unique and matches your brand. Domain names should be easy to remember. You can use your own brand name for large business sites, or your name on personal sites. Also, a name that reflects the purpose of your website will also be a very good choice.
Before searching for a domain name, try to check the right keywords for your website. It would be great if you could find a domain name that includes this keyword. You can also get ideas from many online tools that provide domain names that match your keyword.
How to register the domain?
Once you’ve chosen your domain name, you’ll need to register it in your name. A domain registrar is a company authorized by ICANN (International Organization for Assigned Names and Numbers) to sell domain name registrations.
After registering a domain in your name, you own that domain name for the duration of the registration validity (default is one year) and you can start a website, sell it to someone else, or use it for a custom email address. There are many reputable registrar companies available.
Often, companies that provide website hosting services also work as domain name registrars. In addition to the usual hosting services, they offer domain name registration as an additional service for free or for a fee.
Things to consider when choosing a domain name registration company include:
- Domain name fees vary from one registrar to another.
- Do you want to buy a domain name from your web host?
- Does the domain name registrar offer high quality support?
- Does the registrar offer additional services such as email reminders for renewals?
- Does the domain registrar give you free WHOIS privacy?
Normally, anyone can look up the owner of a domain name, but WHOIS privacy allows you to hide your information behind a proxy service.