In today’s guide we will talk about the difference between domain and hosting.
Domain and hosting, although they are often bought together, are two very different things.
If you are planning to create a website , you have probably already heard that you need to buy a domain and sign up for a WordPress hosting plan .
Maybe you also have consulted some offers to check prices and you know that you can make the purchase of both simultaneously, or did you see that your domain is free for the first year, as in the case of SiteGround and ServerPlan , the two services hosting that we always recommend to our readers.
The fact that domain and hosting are two fundamental elements for the birth of a site can confuse ideas.
So read this guide to understand exactly what you are buying.
You’ve probably stumbled upon questions like “Windows hosting or Linux hosting?”, With the result of confusing your mind even more.
Some novice users who turned to SOS WP to create their website, in fact, thought they had to choose the hosting based on the operating system installed on their computer.
In reality, domain and hosting they have nothing to do with the computer you usually use.
Before understanding the meaning of these two terms, you need to understand how a website works and how you can reach it from a computer connected to the network.
First, imagine that there is a large computer, connected to the internet, with a lot of space available.
It is a very advanced computer, with sophisticated hardware and software that allow it to be fast and secure.
The manager of this computer decides to rent the space inside it to people who intend to create a website.
The user will then receive a password to access the space dedicated to him, and here he can insert the files that make up his site.
It is also necessary for the user to choose a name so that people who surf the internet can reach his pages.
So to create a website you will have to choose a name for your site (the domain ), rent a web space (the hosting ) and put the site files inside it (using WordPress).
Is everything clear so far?
I hope so, but in the meantime, keep reading …
Domain and hosting: what’s the difference?
This explanation may have already made you understand what are domain and hosting.
If this concept is clear enough, we can go on to better understand what these two words mean.
If you have any questions, remember that you can leave a comment at the end of this article and we will get back to you in a few hours.
What is a domain
The domain is the address of your website.
That is, the URL that users type into the browser to reach your page.
For example, the domain of this site is sos-wp.it .
A site can have only one domain, and a domain can only be registered by one person (or company).
The registration of a domain has the main purpose to “make sure” the exclusive use of that URL.
However, it is in no way linked to whether you decide to create a site or not.
Many people register internet domains without using them, just because they want the URLs not to be registered and used by others.
In some cases, the domain is instead used only for the mailbox (that is, to have a personalized email address).
Finally, in most cases, a domain is associated with a website.
There are different types of domains.
For example, with .com extension rather than .it extension, or .net, .info, etc.
Based on these extensions, these domains will have a different price.
In most cases, registering a domain costs around 10-15 euros per year.
On SiteGround and ServerPlan , for example, the most common domains (.com, .com, .net, .org etc.) Cost between 12 and 15 € (but for the first year, as I said, is free with ‘ purchase of a hosting plan).
A domain can also be registered for a period ranging from a minimum of twelve months up to five years (usually, the longer the registration period, the lower the annual price).
But let’s continue to talk about the difference between domain and hostingand now let’s see in detail what a hosting (or rather, a hosting plan) is.
Hosting, what is it?
A plan of hosting for WordPress it is a kind of subscription that you subscribe in order to use a server space provided by the chosen hosting provider.
Hosting and server they are the same thing so don’t have any doubts if I’m talking about hosting or servers.
Also know that when we talk about a shared hosting, we are talking about a machine whose space is spread over multiple accounts.
A dedicated server, on the other hand, is a machine used by a single account.
Websites built in WordPress consist of a series of file folders and a database.
These files must be hosted on a server , which is a real physical computer… but it is not located inside or near your computer! It is located in a data center (or data center ), where there are thousands of servers managed by the hosting provider of your choice.
Hosting and domain, how are they connected?
For a website to be visible online, it must have a domain.
In some cases, it is possible to use a free domain (for example, one of those provided by WordPress.com) but it is always a domain.
If you want to start a successful blog , this strategy is not recommended at all as you are not truly 100% owner of your site.
Your domain is then linked to yours server space, so that when users type your url into the browser your files and database are displayed.
So, since the domain and hosting both are required to create a website, often sold together.
This is all difference between domain and hosting.
To sum it up: the domain is the URL of your site, while the hosting plan is actually the server space on which the files are hosted.
If you have any other questions about how the domain and hosting, or you need help registering, don’t hesitate to activate WordPress Support .
We will answer any of your questions within an hour.
Free hosting and domain: is it possible?
Some hosting services offer very advantageous offers that allow you to get the free domain for the first year or forever with the purchase of a hosting plan.
Other services instead offer a free hosting plan , but you have to buy the domain.
In any case, I do not recommend you to use free hosting, as the quality of the service is very poor.
Surely it is not the right solution for a website for a business, however small it may be or still a startup.
Free hosting and domain together is a decidedly unlikely option.
The only way to create a completely free site is through services that offer a small web space and a subdomain or third level domain .
This is the case with WordPress.com, which is not the same WordPress that I talk about in this blog.
WordPress.com allows you to create a site with a domain of the type mysite.wordpress.com , where the “wordpress.com” part remains.
The features to create your site are very limited and I do not recommend this for starting your online business.
What if I want to buy a hosting without domain?
In reality it is not possible, because a web space must necessarily have an address to be reached.
If you already have a domain, however, you can purchase a hosting plan without having to register a new one.
You can choose whether to transfer it to the new supplier or keep it where you purchased it.
Hosting, what is it?
It is a subscription that you subscribe to be able to use a server space.
What is a domain?
The domain is the website address.
How are hosting and domain connected?
Both are required for a site to be viewed. A site must have a domain, i.e. the URL that users type in the browser and a web space that contains all the files of the site itself.
Domain and hosting: what’s the difference
The domain is the URL of your site, while the hosting plan is the server space where the files are contained.
Conclusion
We have come to the end of this short guide.
I hope I have been able to clarify the difference between domain and hosting.
You have already purchased domain and hosting?
If you have any doubts or questions, as always, I refer you to the comments section below.
