BEAST Printing

Prospective clients often don’t understand the difference between domain name registration and website hosting. It is a confusing system, and hopefully this article will remove some of the mystery of website design basics.

Overview: Domain Name Registration
A “domain name” is your online identity, the “mybusinessname.com” or “mynonprofit.org” or “widgets.net”. Domain names are unique, meaning that once you purchase your domain name from a domain name registrar, you alone own the rights to use it – just like buying a car, at least you own it during the time period you purchased it for etc. You can build a website and use the domain name for yourself, or sell it someone else. New, never used domain names can be purchased from a domain name registrar. You can also purchase a domain from a person who already owns the domain – but they’ll charge you much more than a domain registrar will because they’re trying to make a profit. Since new domains cost around $10/year and existing domains can be much, much more, I generally recommend that new website owners purchase new domain names from domain registrars whenever possible.

Overview: Website Hosting
Website “hosting” refers to a company or person who rents you space on one of their computers, called a “server”. It’s the server’s job to store the various files that comprise your website. When someone uses an internet browser, like Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer and types in your domain name, the server “serves” the appropriate files, just like a waiter brings you the dinner your ordered. Servers do more than just “serve”, they also execute “server-side” code, which means they are also like the cooks in the kitchen. Servers work really hard, which is sometimes why websites may be unavailable for short periods of time. A website hosting company may have one or dozens or hundreds of servers – depending on the size of the company.

Can your domain registrar and hosting company be the same?
Now, it is possible to purchase your domain name from one company (like GoDaddy.com), and purchase website hosting from another (like Desertlord.net). It’s also possible to purchase both from the same company. Domain name registration and website hosting are apples and oranges, but many folks find it less confusing to purchase both from the same company – one less password to remember!

What’s the connection between domain name and hosting?
Domain names and website hosting companies are connected to one another through a setting called “domain name server” or “DNS”. The DNS indicates where your website files are. It’s a link between the domain name and your server. It’s similar to looking up a business name in the phone book to find their address. It says: ‘oh, I see you’re looking for BeastPrinting.com, well it’s located right here on a server at Desertlord.net.” You can see these DNS settings for any website by using this DNS Lookup Tool.

Must give credit where credit is due…article mostly written by Aldebaran Web Design.