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Domain vs Hosting: How Are They Different?

Last updated: Aug 07, 2024

https://cmlabs.co/en-au/seo-terms/domain-vs-hosting

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Get to know Domain vs. Hosting

What is a domain? A domain is the identity or address of a website, allowing users to access it easily without needing to remember an IP address, which is a series of numbers. Domains are created to reflect these IP addresses in a more user-friendly way.

A domain name consists of two parts, the second level which is your chosen word, and the

top-level (TLD) which is its extension.

For example, for cmlabs.co, cmlabs is the second-level domain, while .co is the extension or top-level domain (TLD).

Then, what is hosting? Hosting is a server that stores the data and assets of a website. If the domain is the address, then hosting is the land where the site resides.

You can have a domain name without hosting, but your website will be empty since hosting is essential for building a functional site.

The Differences Between Domain and Hosting

The differences between domains and hosting can be seen from various aspects, such as function, form, and type.

To learn some differences between domains and hosting, take a look at the following:

1. Type

You can see the first difference between domain vs. hosting from the type. In general, a domain will have .com, .id, .net, and so on in its name.

However, hosting has different types of domains, such as:

Shared Hosting: It allows you to share your hosting with other websites on a single server, making it the most affordable hosting option that is suitable for personal or small business needs
Cloud Hosting: It acts as a private virtual server on multiple different servers.
You can set up your backend aspects and get dedicated resources and IP addresses.
VPS Hosting: It allows users to get dedicated server space and use physical servers.
Email Hosting: It allows users to create emails using domain names, such as [email protected].
WordPress Hosting: WordPress hosting is a service where users can take advantage of its built-in features and optimization tools.

2. Forms

The web hosting and domain name take different forms. A domain, which describes the identity of a website, takes the form of a URL with various formats, such as .ac.id, .org., .com, and so on.

On the other hand, hosting is the space that houses a website commonly called a server. Hosting usually comes in the form of software or hardware.

3. Function

The next difference between domain vs. hosting is the function. A domain functions as an identifier of a website so that users can access the site.

Meanwhile, hosting serves as a place to store website data. Hosting also affects the speed at which a page can be accessed, so you will need a large server space for large resources.

This means that if the server space is inadequate, the website will take longer to load data.

4. Price

The last difference between domain vs. hosting can be seen in terms of their price. Hosting prices generally depend on the type used, while domain prices tend to adjust to the type of TLD domain extension.

How Domain and Hosting Work

Now that you know the difference between domains and hosting, let's learn how they work together.

The way domains and hosting work are related. It's like hosting is the house, and a domain is the address. To visit a house, you’ll need an address, right?

When a user accesses a website, the website's data and files are stored on the hosting server.

Then the user enters the domain name into the browser. At that point, the browser requests the hosting server to send the website files to the browser.

Then, when the server has delivered the file, the user will be able to access the desired website.

The process from storing to accessing the site happens within seconds. However, as explained earlier, server speed is also affected by server space. If the server space is sufficient to store the website data, then the loading time will be much faster.