Web design & Internet tutorials
Search the site...
Home» FAQ » What’s the difference between web hosting and domain registration?

What’s the difference between web hosting and domain registration?

Posted by Janine Warner - September 16, 2012 - FAQ, Feature-Front, hosting, Tutorials, Web Design, Web Hosting

cool apartmentDomain registration and hosting are two separate services. Many companies offer both, but they are completely different services. Here’s a metaphor that may help you understand the difference (it confuses a lot of people):

Think of a hosting company like an apartment you rent, a place where your web site can live.

Think of the domain name like your phone number, one that you can transfer (or forward) to a new apartment if you ever needed to do so.

Some web hosting services, such as Weebly, including website building tools and templates with their hosting so you get everything you need in one place. You could think of that like getting a furnished apartment.

If you create a custom web site with a program like Dreamweaver or WordPress, you’ll need a web hosting service that doesn’t restrict you to their site building tools.

Web hosting varies the way apartments do. When you sign up for web hosting at a new company like Dreamhost or Hostgator, you get a cheap apartment, but one it’s still one that you can furnish yourself. When you sign up with a company like Rackspace.com, you got a much nicer apartment, but you pay for the view (or in this case, the faster, more reliable service).

If you use WordPress to run your site, consider using a dedicated WordPress hosting service, like WPEngine, which is optimized to run WordPress faster than general hosting service.

These and many other web hosting services let you upload your own web site to their web server or install a WordPress blog, much like you would furnish your own apartment and hang art on the walls.

You can use the same company to register your domain name and host your web site, or you can use two different companies. If you use two different companies, then you then have to essentially transfer your domain from your domain registrar to your web host, much like you might ask the phone company to move your a phone number to your new apartment. In the case of a domain, however,  it’s usually called changing DNS. If you ever want to change the company where you registered your domain, that’s kind of like changing phone companies while keeping the same phone number and it’s a bit more complicated than just changing DNS.

For more tips on how (and where) to register a domain name, check out the article: Can Anyone Register a Domain Name?

For more tips on web hosting, check out the article: Choosing the Best Web Hosting Service.

web design, web hosting

2 comments on “What’s the difference between web hosting and domain registration?”

  1. Kelanda Bynum says:
    September 7, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    Thank you for the information. It was very clear and easy to follow. I got to this site by searching the difference between a web host and a registrar. Your ‘metaphor’ was great. Obviously I’m new to creating a website. I appreciate the information.

  2. Difference Between Registering A Domain Name And Web Hosting | The online web hosting guide says:
    July 21, 2015 at 9:56 am

    […] What’s the difference between web hosting and domain … – Here’s a metaphor that may help you understand the difference … Can Anyone Register a Domain Name? For more tips on web … the difference between a web host and … […]

Recent Posts

  • Google Analytics for Creative Professionals – new class on Pluralsight
  • Follow the cursor JavaScript sample
  • Part Four: Tools that let amateurs look like professionals
  • Part Three: Influence, Klout and finding what’s hot
  • Best social media tools part 2: Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest
  • How to add sound to a website
  • The advantages of a dynamic website, such as WordPress
  • How do you preserve Google rankings when you redesign a WordPress site ?
  • Browser Testing Tools
  • My updated Facebook Template works on small and large screens




© 2001 - 2020 All rights reserved. DigitalFamiliy.com | Terms & Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy

This is a demonstration store. No physical products will be shipped. Dismiss