Difference Between Buying a Domain & Hosting a Domain

Having a website is now essential as more and more businesses go online. Nevertheless, you must first buy a domain name and hosting package before you can launch a website. These two ideas are frequently mixed up, and many people think they refer to the same thing. We shall describe the distinction between purchasing a domain and hosting a domain in this article.

What is a Domain Name?

The distinctive address used to identify your website on the internet is called a domain name. That is what users enter to access your website in their web browser. Google.com, for instance, is a domain name. It is crucial to pick a domain name that is related to your business and simple to remember. As a given domain name can only be used by one website, your domain name should also be distinctive.

You essentially buy the right to use a domain name when you buy one for your website. Domain registrars, businesses that are licenced to sell domain names, are where domain names are bought. The cost of a domain name varies based on the domain extension and the registrar, and there are many to pick from.

What is Web Hosting?

The service that enables your website to be accessed on the internet is known as web hosting. While building a website, you need a location to keep all the files and information that go into it. In order for your website to be accessible to anybody with an internet connection, web hosting firms offer space on their servers for you to store your website’s data.

In essence, you are renting space on a server when you sign up for a web hosting plan. Shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting are just a few of the numerous web hosting plan varieties available. The requirements and traffic of your website will determine the kind of web hosting you select.

Important distinctions between purchasing and hosting domains

After defining domain names and web hosting, let’s examine the primary distinctions between purchasing and hosting a domain.

Ownership

When you purchase a domain name, you own the right to use that name for your website. However, you do not own the server space where your website is hosted. When you sign up for a web hosting plan, you are essentially renting space on a server. This means that you do not own the server or the hardware that it is running on.

Functionality

A domain name is simply the address that people use to access your website. It does not provide any functionality or features to your website. On the other hand, web hosting provides the infrastructure and resources necessary to run your website. Without web hosting, your website would not be accessible on the internet.

Cost

The cost of buying a domain name and hosting a website can vary significantly. Domain names can cost anywhere from a few dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on the domain extension and the registrar. Web hosting plans can also vary in price, depending on the type of hosting you choose and the features included in the plan.

Renewal

When you purchase a domain name, you typically have to renew it every year or every few years, depending on the registrar. If you do not renew your domain name, it can be released back into the pool of available domain names, and someone else can purchase it. Web hosting plans also need to be renewed, usually on a yearly basis.

Buying & Hosting a Domain: A domain is the address that people use to access your website, such as www.yourdomain.com, while hosting is the service that stores and maintains the files and data that make up your website.

When you buy a domain, you are purchasing the rights to use a specific web address for a certain period of time (usually one year). After that period of time, you will need to renew your domain registration to continue using it. The domain name can be purchased from a domain registrar such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Network Solutions, etc.

Hosting, on the other hand, is a service that allows you to store and maintain your website’s files and data on a server that is connected to the internet. When someone types your domain into their web browser, the hosting service serves up the files and data stored on the server, which then displays your website to the user. Hosting services can be purchased from a hosting provider such as Bluehost, HostGator, or AWS.

In conclusion, renting hosting space is like renting the land on which your house will be built, whereas purchasing a name is like purchasing the address of your home. While hosting is the provider that stores and manages the files and data that make up your website, a domain is the URL at which users may reach your website.