Short answer: a domain name is your website's address (for example yourbusiness.com), and web hosting is the server where your website's files, databases and email are stored. You need both to run a website: the domain tells browsers where to go, and the hosting delivers the website when they get there.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the human-friendly address people type into a browser. Behind the scenes, computers find each other using numeric IP addresses. The Domain Name System (DNS) translates your domain into the IP address of the server that hosts your website.
When you register a domain, you are renting the right to use that name for a period, usually one year or more. You renew it before it expires to keep it. A domain on its own does not contain a website: it is only the address.
- Generic extensions such as
.com,.netand.orgwork for any audience. - Country extensions such as
.pkand.com.pksignal that a website is focused on Pakistan. Their registration rules are set by the registry for that extension.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is space on a server that is permanently connected to the internet. It stores everything your website is made of (pages, images, code and databases) and sends it to visitors' browsers when they open your domain. Most hosting plans also include email accounts on your domain, such as info@yourbusiness.com.
Hosting plans differ mainly in the resources you get (storage, bandwidth, number of email accounts and databases) and in how the server is shared. Our guide to shared, VPS and reseller hosting explains the main types.
How domains and hosting work together
- You register a domain name.
- You buy a hosting plan, which gives your website a home on a server.
- You point the domain at the hosting by setting its nameservers (or DNS records) to the ones your hosting provider gives you.
- Once the DNS change has spread across the internet, which can take from a few minutes up to 24–48 hours, visitors who type your domain reach your website.
Domain vs hosting at a glance
| Domain name | Web hosting | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your website's address | Server space where your website lives |
| Example | yourbusiness.com | A cPanel hosting account with storage, email and databases |
| Billed | Per registration period, usually yearly | Per billing cycle of your plan |
| Works without the other? | Only as a reserved name, with no website | Only through a temporary or IP address |
Can I buy them from different companies?
Yes. A domain registered with one company can point to hosting with another; you only need to update the nameservers. Keeping both in one account is simpler, because renewals and support are in one place.
Getting started with BGS HOST
You can search for and register a domain, choose a shared hosting plan with cPanel, free SSL and daily backups, and manage both from one dashboard. If you already have a website elsewhere, website migration is free: open a support ticket after you order.