What’s the Difference Between Domain and Hosting?

Those who want to set up and use a website often experience confusion between two basic concepts. You can find the details of these two concepts below.

1. Domain
2. Hosting

Domain: Simply put, it is the name of your website on the internet. Users who want to access your website can reach it by typing the address you have chosen into their browser.

Example: www.fastpanda.co.uk

Domains generally consist of two main parts: the first part contains the domain name, which is the easy-to-remember digital name you choose. In the example given above, the ‘fastpanda’ part is the first section, meaning the domain name itself. The remaining ‘.co.uk’ part is the second section, which is the domain extension. Domain extensions can be .com, .net, .co.uk, .site, etc.

Domain names are actually part of a system developed to make the internet easier to use. Without domain names, it would be necessary to enter number-filled IP addresses to access websites. Since writing and remembering an IP address for each website would be difficult, domain names were developed to be both human-readable and easy to remember. However, the most important point to understand here is that a domain name is just a name. Domain names do not store any content. Therefore, when users type your domain name into a browser, they may encounter warnings like ‘This site can’t be reached.’ If you want your own data, such as content and images, to be displayed on your website, you will need a hosting service.

Hosting: It is the digital storage space where your website’s images, texts, and other content are stored on the internet. The content you upload to your hosting space is displayed to users when they visit your site. Therefore, the uploaded content becomes accessible online 24/7. Additionally, some hosting services also offer email hosting. This allows you to create and use corporate email accounts linked to your domain name through your hosting service.

These two services complement each other, but their functions are completely different. If you want to launch a website, you will need both a domain name and a hosting service. When you purchase a domain name and hosting service, they do not belong to you permanently. These services operate on a rental basis. For example, if you purchase a domain and hosting service for one year and wish to continue using them, you will need to renew them at the end of the year or choose to purchase them for a longer period.