What is the difference between a domain, a website, and hosting?
HostingThis is the home of your website; your files are stored on hosting servers. A domain name is the address of your "home." If this explanation doesn't satisfy your curiosity, we'll add a few technical details. These are useful to know if you have a website.
To reach your website, a visitor uses a domain name. It seems simple, but it's actually a complex process:
the user typeddomain name→ press Enter → the domain is transferred toServer IP address→ the server sends to this useryour website files→browserconverts them into a regular web page.
A website cannot exist without the three components we mentioned in the title of this article. Let's discuss them individually.
Domain names
Computers communicate with each other through numbers called IP addresses. It's similar to how we use a phone number to call a friend.Domain namesOn the internet, domains are like contacts in a phone book. Phone books let people know which number to dial to call the right person. Similarly, domains tell people (i.e., their computers) that a website is located on a specific server.
Without a domain, you would have to tell your site visitors that the site is located at the temporary link 123.456.789.123/-mysite instead of the domain name.mysite.ukrYou must admit, this would be extremely inconvenient.
What do you own on the internet?
What is a domain from a legal perspective? It's your internet address, the sole intellectual property of users and companies on the internet. You own nothing but your domain. Your YouTube channel address belongs to Google, your Skype login belongs to Microsoft. Your Facebook account could theoretically stop working. Even now, only some of your friends can see your posts on the social network, because that's what Facebook has decided.
DomainIt can be compared to a trademark. Once a trademark is registered with a government agency, no one can cancel its registration without a court order. The same applies to a domain.
Hosting servers
Hosting servers are like a space you rent for your business. Initially, the space is empty, unfurnished, and the hosting server doesn't contain your website files.
Without hosting servers, you wouldn't have the space to host your website. They're like a PBX; without it, you'd be left with a disconnected phone number. It's thanks to the PBX that phone numbers work.
Site files
Website files are what visitors (or even potential customers) see when they land on your website. Website files are no different from those you use in everyday life. For example, they might be .jpg or .mp3 music files. Website files can also be in .php or .html format (depending on the code the programmer uses to create them).
Hosting servers are able to "give" these files to the browser, which "reads" the information about how the web page should look and displays it to the visitor.
All three components are important for a website. For it to run quickly, hosting servers must be physically located in the same country as the users (this is also important for Google rankings). The domain name should be memorable and simple, making it easy for visitors to find.
