{"id":20866,"date":"2018-12-13T08:58:37","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T13:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=20866"},"modified":"2019-09-30T14:44:16","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T19:44:16","slug":"web-hosting-vs-domain-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/web-hosting-vs-domain-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Web Hosting vs Domain: What’s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A lot of people who are getting started online don\u2019t realize that web hosting and domain names are two separate things. They just want to get their site up and that\u2019s it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a website is comprised of a few different elements working together, and it\u2019s important to understand how they work. It\u2019s impossible to have a website live on the internet without your web hosting and your domain name working together. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you could build your website on your computer and have all of your files there. But, without a host and domain name, there\u2019s no way for anyone to see it online except for you.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that sounds a little confusing, don\u2019t worry. By the end of this post, you\u2019ll have a better understanding of <\/span>why you need web hosting<\/span><\/a>, and how it works with your domain name to help you have a live website.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll explain the difference between <\/span>web hosting vs. domain<\/span> names, how they work together, and finally, how you can get started with your very own domain name and hosting. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"build<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is Web Hosting?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you build a website you\u2019re essentially creating a bunch of files, which are then read and displayed in a web browser. To have your site live on the web you need to host them on a server. In a nutshell, that\u2019s <\/span>how web hosting works<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where web hosting services comes into play. You pay a monthly fee and you rent a space on a server where you can store your website\u2019s files. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A company that specializes in web hosting services has all of the necessary technical infrastructure to host your website\u2019s files. For instance, they\u2019ll have a large datacenter filled with servers, network equipment, backup power supplies, air cooling systems and a ton more.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within this entire network of servers, you\u2019ll have a tiny slice of that to store your website\u2019s files. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a multitude of <\/span>different kinds of hosting<\/span><\/a> available. If you\u2019re just getting started online then a basic shared hosting plan will probably be sufficient. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some <\/span>benefits of using web hosting<\/span><\/a> and the common forms available:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n