What is the difference between a domain and hosting?
Domain: Your Address
A domain name is the human-friendly address people type to find you, such as yourname.com. It's registered through a domain registrar for an annual fee, typically $10–$20 per year for common endings like .com or .org.
You don't buy the domain outright; you rent it for a set period (usually one year at a time). As long as you keep renewing, it's yours to use.
Hosting: Your Space
Web hosting is a service that stores your website's files and makes them available on the internet. Think of it as renting a small piece of a computer that's always connected.
Hosting plans vary widely: shared hosting can cost a few dollars a month, while dedicated servers can run hundreds. For a beginner site, shared hosting is usually enough.
How They Work Together
When someone types your domain, the internet looks up which hosting server holds your site and then loads the files from there. Without a domain, visitors would need a hard-to-remember IP address; without hosting, your domain would point to nothing.
You can buy them from the same company or separately. Many registrars also sell hosting, but you're free to mix and match.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a domain includes hosting—it doesn't; they are separate services you often pay for separately.
- Believing you own the domain forever after buying it; you only lease it for the registration period.
- Assuming free hosting is always sufficient; it often comes with ads, limited storage, or slow speeds.
