To host a website on the Internet, you need hosting and a domain, and what they are and why they are needed will be discussed in this article. I'll try to explain in simple words and use as few terms and abstruse technical phrases as possible, let's start with the domain.
What is a domain and what is it for?
There are two different interpretations domain concepts: official and unofficial. Almost everywhere you will find exactly unofficial , which states that a domain or domain name is the actual address of a website on the World Wide Web. A domain name includes a unique name (in my case zyubin) and a domain zone, which is written after the name and a period (in my case ru). The domain appears in the browser's address bar when you visit a website.
Almost all webmasters and various Internet services use exactly this interpretation, although from a technical point of view this is not entirely true, since officially the domain zone (ru, com, net, etc.) is considered a first-level domain, and a unique name is considered a second-level domain level. Simply put, a domain is officially considered to be part of a website’s address, separated from the other part by a dot.
To make it easier to remember and understand, imagine a matryoshka doll; here, too, the child domain is nested within the parent domain. It turns out as follows: from left to right, from junior to senior in the hierarchy, the domains are located “ glued» point to each other. This is more clearly seen in the example of a third-level domain, it is also called “ subdomain", when creating it, another one is added non-unique name .
As I said above, most often you will meet with unofficial interpretation, but for general development, I think that you need to know the official explanation of the concept of domain. It is worth noting that previously the domain name was preceded by the abbreviation www, which translates as “ The World Wide Web", today this prefix is not mandatory and is practically not used.
Full domain names are purchased from so-called registrars, or to be more precise, they are rented, since payment for the domain is made for each year of use. I recommend one of the most popular and authoritative domain registrars - REG.ru. By clicking on the link, you can immediately check whether the unique name you want to purchase is taken and immediately buy the desired domain.
What is hosting and why is it needed?
Hosting is a package of services for providing resources for hosting a website on a special server and the ability to permanently display the site on the global Internet. The organization providing such a package of services is called a hosting provider.
A website consists of many files grouped in different folders. To place them on the Internet, hosting providers provide web servers on which space is allocated to store the site and the necessary software is installed for correct operation and round-the-clock display of the site on the network.
In simple words, hosting is a home for a site on the Internet, which can be budget or luxury, and a domain is its address at which users find the site on the Internet.
This is where I will end the article. For those who were interested in this topic, I hope I was able to clearly answer the question: what is a domain and hosting? If you have any questions, ask in the comments.
Almost all beginner webmasters In their work they come across such concepts as “hosting” and “domain”. What are they and why are they needed and are they needed at all? These are the most important questions in website building that a webmaster needs to answer before starting to study CSS, HTML and website management engines.
What is hosting and why is it needed?
Hosting is hard drive space, which will store all the files of the created site. This space is provided either by a specialized company - a server, or on the hard drive on the webmaster’s computer.
However, given that access to the site must be available around the clock and work stably all the time, it is not advisable to use home hosting. In addition, the site is located on such a home hosting search engines don't take you seriously, which means you don’t have to think about the TOP 10 search queries.
Such hosting can be used while the site is being developed, but not for its operation. To use HDD as a server, you need to install a special program on your computer, for example, Denwer.
In fact, it is not much different from the network one, except that it only works when the user starts it. You can connect a domain to it, but it is more convenient to simply rent hard disk space on the server, especially since some hosting providers provide it both for a fee and for free. It is better to use a paid one, since in this case the sites are ranked better.
To work on hosting, use the installed MSQL database, in which all site files are stored, and to which the webmaster receives access after registering on the server. To communicate and transfer files and folders to the hosting, you must use a special FTP manager.
Hosting is needed so that site visitors can access it. any time of the day or night so that it loads quickly and works stably. There were no broken pages or scripts harmful to the guest’s computer.
The choice of storage type and the price for it depend on what tools the webmaster uses to create and manage the site. Typically, the server indicates which technologies are supported by a particular hosting. So the cheapest is considered to be one that works only with static sites made exclusively in the format HTML pages.
To use such CMS systems it is necessary to purchase hosting with PHP support, since all engines (Joomla, WordPress and others) are created using this programming language and all files have the PHP extension.
What is a domain, how to choose it
Domain is Website address. It can be seen in. There are first, second and third level domains. Domains first level used by official websites of government departments, large companies and online libraries.
They are expensive, and most of the existing first-level domains have long been taken.
Domains available second and third levels. Domains of the third level and below can be obtained for free. The difference between the second and third levels is the length of the domain name.
For example, a third-level domain looks like news.domain.com. Second level domains: domain.com or news-domain.com.
There seems to be little difference between them, but the latter rank better and are paid. The price of a domain depends on who owns it and the demand for it. They can cost from two or three dollars to several million.
Subdomains (third-level domains) if you have a purchased domain, you can create for yourself countless- for free.
The domain should be selected so that it matches the theme of the site being developed or already created. It should be easy to remember, not too long and at the same time unique. You can purchase a domain on special websites.
What is the connection between hosting and domain
Hosting and domain - integral components of the site A. The domain allows search engines to find the location of the pages of the website that is hosted. In this case, the domain must be linked to hosting.
This can be done in the content management system by specifying the domain in the appropriate field. There may be several of them on one site. Without them, the site will not work, since the search engine simply will not find them. Connecting a domain can be compared to assigning an actual address to a house or apartment.
Since they cannot work separately from each other, companies that provide hosting services often allow their clients to purchase first- and second-level domains from them.
In order for the site to start working on the Internet and other users can access it, it must be placed on hosting using FTP manager. Link a domain to the site and add it to the Google or Yandex index. After this, the site automatically gets into the search engine.
You need to know what a domain and hosting are if you plan to create your own page and start doing business on the World Wide Web. There is nothing particularly complicated about these concepts, but understanding them is really important. These two terms are the basic ones for work related to creating your own page on the vastness of the limitless virtual web.
Their essence should be clear not only to businessmen, but also to those planning to open their own blog. The quality of services provided by the provider will determine the reliability and consistency of access for users and administrators to the portal, and a successful choice of name will ensure the popularity of the resource among visitors and the favor of search engines.
What is a website?
For the user, this is an object on the World Wide Web that can be seen through a browser. This is a page that contains pictures and texts, videos and animated images. You can get acquainted with information, add your own or make purchases - in a word, there are a lot of possibilities. But for a developer, a website is a much more complex system formed by files, scripts, databases, and other components. For the project to work properly, all these elements must be stored in one place around the clock and be accessible from different parts of the world via the Internet.
So, why do you need hosting and a domain? The first is precisely to provide access to files that form the technical side of the issue. We'll deal with the second a little later: everything is in order. A special server is created by the company and leased to interested parties free of charge or for a fee. A heavy-duty computer equipped with specialized programs is used as a server. The customer must rent disk space that is sufficient to accommodate all the files of his project.
How it works?
The main idea of your hosting is round-the-clock access, technical control and regular updates. Choosing best option, you need to study reviews, evaluate the stability of the service and check how responsive the company’s technical support is. Only a responsible company is worth renting disk space from. It is known: if a site is unavailable for at least some time, it quickly loses its position among search engine results. In order not to spoil your reputation and undermine your business (and it will be very difficult to restore the situation), it is better to immediately take a responsible approach to choosing a company to rent space on the server.
Paid and free hosting are provided by providers. There are several accommodation options. Virtual hosting is quite popular, when one server provides sufficient capacity to host numerous websites. The user has his own unique control panel in his personal account.
The amount of resources allocated for its needs is determined by the tariff plan. If there is a shortage of capacity, it is usually enough to increase the tariff to solve the problem. Virtual hosting is considered the best option when you need to open one or a small number of projects on the electronic web.
Alternative options
When determining for yourself the most favorable conditions for creating domains and hosting, you should definitely consider the possibilities of VPS and VDS. Such servers are provided for use by the client, which gives access to extensive resources and increased power. The advantage of the technology is absolute control and maximum independence, advanced project management functions.
The option of a physical server looks no less interesting. In this case, the provider offers to rent a car, and all its resources will be the temporary property of the client. You don't have to share with anyone!
Quality and result
When choosing free hosting, you should not count on great technical capabilities or particularly responsive support service. But when renting a place for a certain fee, you should carefully select a provider in order to pay for real high-quality service.
The technical base of the enterprise and the level of service maintained by the company determine the effectiveness of the client project. If the hosting is productive and stable, then the site will be accessible at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year. Neither the load nor the scale of the project will play a role.
The task of hosting (Yandex, by the way, regularly issues updated recommendations for choosing providers) is to ensure that pages on the user’s computer load quickly. At the same time, specialists constantly check the hardware, make backups every day and carry out preventive maintenance, preventing possible breakdowns. If force majeure occurs, it is the provider that must provide the maximum useful information for data recovery.
Domain: what is it?
Hosting has already been discussed above, so it is worth paying attention to this most important term, understanding of which should be the basic task of a person starting to work with websites. A domain is usually understood as a unique name that helps identify a project on the World Wide Web. An alternative term (absolute synonym) is domain name.
The domain is formed by two levels of component. The first order is an index of letters written in a line after a dot: com, edu, ru. From this information you can get an understanding of which country the site operates in. The second level is a unique name, the invention of which is the responsibility of the project owner. The total is the user's domain: for example, name.ru.
Why is it important?
On the one hand, a domain name is the very first sign that distinguishes a site from all others, that is, a project can be presented through it potential client, visitor. But this is only the most obvious function of the name. The name is no less significant for the search engine, which understands through the domain what the page is about.
You can only successfully promote a project for which the site’s domain name was responsibly and successfully selected. When choosing a name, you need to remember some expert advice, first of all, inventing a bright, sonorous, understandable phrase. It is recommended to make it as short as possible and memorable.
When considering different options for top-level domains, it is better to choose the one that best matches the geographic location of the target audience. For example, focusing on the whole world, preference is given to com, but for our country the current option is ru. Good useful tips gives you the choice of domain, Yandex hosting. In particular, from the first-class specialists of this largest domestic company you can find out what is best search engines(by the way, Yandex itself too) accept sites whose addresses are written in Latin.
Cyrillic domains are undoubtedly good, but it is almost impossible to promote them abroad. When choosing a name, you need to put meaning into the word, choosing something that reflects the theme of the project. For commercial projects, you must enter the name of the company in the address.
What's in a name?
Having selected a site name that seems most relevant to the topic and effective for future promotion, it is necessary to check the domain. This is a special procedure that allows you to find out whether such a name has been registered by someone before. If it turns out that a site with such an address already existed, you can use special resources to check whether it still exists, what its topic was, its reputation, and who the owner was.
Some enterprising people register popular names which are then resold. If you really want a domain name that has been assigned to someone in this way, you can negotiate to purchase the address for a reasonable price.
To some extent it can be compared human name and domain. An address that already belongs to someone is not available to a potential site owner.
The fact is that many people can be called by the same names, but on the Internet such a trick will not work: each name, each address must be strictly unique, individual, inimitable. This allows you to maintain order on the virtual web and makes it possible to quickly find a resource in the system without confusion and misdirection of the user.
Selecting a domain name: important aspects
As practice shows, not all entrepreneurs, when opening their own business on the Internet, and not every blogger, when starting their own page, seriously think about choosing an address. Many people prefer to entrust this to a company developing a design solution. Needless to say that the selected address in this case may disappoint? As experts say, it is better to do domain registration yourself.
On the one hand, this will allow you to have access to account to block a name or extend service, and the user receives the necessary skills and will be able to register a new address or change the old one at any time. In addition (and this is the most important thing!), with all responsibility you can choose a truly suitable option.
A name is the face of a company, website, project. Others compose real gobbledygook, but it will be of little use. If the name does not mean anything to the visitor, then it will not stick in memory. Abbreviations are suitable for those enterprises that already have a name known to the general public - for example, the Air Force. There will be no difficulties in remembering the site or understanding what it refers to. But some kind of ABCG? Will he remain in memory? Experts say you shouldn't count on this.
Alternative Approach
For an enterprise or publication, the most successful choice of name is one that is consonant with the name of the company. It will not always be possible to find one - most likely, the option that comes to mind will be taken. In this case, it is worth approaching the task of registering a domain “from the other end”: analyzing the main area of activity. For example, if the project is dedicated to sports news, then the address may contain an indication of the topic - sports, news, and not just the name.
If a company is just getting started and does not plan to promote its website on the Internet, but is considering this option for the future, it is better to register the name in advance. Renewing from year to year costs really little money, but in the future, when the time comes to create your website, you won’t have to worry that all the suitable addresses have already been occupied by more efficient people.
By the way, history is full of such examples a la “didn’t have time”! The same McDonald's and Microsoft. By the way, some people make a serious business out of this - they register successful names and then sell them for decent money.
Hosting: which one?
Having understood what a domain and hosting are, you can begin to choose the best option for yourself. If everything is relatively simple with the name - the features are discussed above - then you will have to work hard to choose a site for placing files. There are many offers on the market, some companies are based abroad, others in our country. The cost of services varies quite a lot. How to choose something for yourself? Experts assure that it is not too difficult, you just need to approach the process thoroughly.
In particular, for a start-up company, as professionals convince, shared hosting is the best option. If at some point its capacity is not enough, you can always organize a transfer of hosting, there are no problems with this, there are special tools that form a package from files that another provider can read. On average, shared hosting costs 100-600 rubles for one month of use, the specific cost is determined by the settings, capacity provided, and the financial policy of the enterprise.
When is it suitable?
Having understood what a domain and hosting are, it is also necessary to predict the scale of the project and the possibilities of the business, if it is supposed to be conducted through a virtual representative office. In particular, the proposed shared hosting option is good if the page’s monthly traffic varies within three thousand users.
The scripts that were preferred and the settings that were set (depending on the tariff plan) determine how many users the hosting can support. If the boundary is violated, the project will hang. You need to remember: not only users will notice this, but also search engines.
Despite serious restrictions on traffic, shared hosting has a number of important advantages, and the first place is rightfully given to the availability of this option. You need to realize that domain renewal, regular payments to the provider for space to host site files - all this costs money. If a business that needs to recoup the costs of a website is still poorly promoted, you should not settle for the most expensive options. When the flow of visitors increases, it will be possible to expand the possibilities.
Summarizing
Shared hosting is good for basic level, aspiring entrepreneurs. To use such a service, no special skills or knowledge of administration are required, everything will be handled by the provider. A simple control panel, the ability to access it at any time and from anywhere in the world where there is Internet access are the undoubted advantages of this option. The provider will help with the initial setup and will support the project in the future.
More business - more opportunities
You need to enter into an agreement with a hosting provider after selecting and checking a domain. If the initial test of capabilities shows that the minimum tariff plan is not enough, it makes sense to consider options for expanding resources. Many modern providers are ready to offer improvements to the basic tariffs. This mainly concerns greater technical capabilities, that is, the project will better cope with the average daily load.
Such an improvement is necessary if the resource is becoming increasingly popular. Please note: it is necessary to constantly monitor the number of visits in order to increase technical capabilities not at the moment when users are already having problems, but in advance.
Another good opportunity that providers provide in addition to the basic tariff is increasing disk space. Thanks to this, the owner can simultaneously host several sites in the zone allocated to him and administer projects simultaneously. As a rule, such a “feature” is added for an adequate fee - it is cheaper than concluding a new contract.
Weak sides
Shared hosting has not only positive parameters, but also certain disadvantages. The most significant is the daily CPU load limit. Once the set limit is reached, the provider blocks the site until the counter is updated.
VPS: the optimal choice
The abbreviation hides a virtual dedicated server. This is more expensive than the described option, but is powerful enough to satisfy the needs of most modern virtual pages. The price per month is from five to seven thousand rubles, the specific amount is determined by the capabilities to which the provider provides access. The values will depend on both the processor power and the amount of memory (retention, RAM).
It is recommended to subscribe to such a tariff plan only for an already well-established business, an enterprise that is characterized by a stable flow of clientele, in a situation where the provider’s most high-tech offers seem too expensive. Mostly VPS is chosen by news sites, other media, as well as popular online stores.
A company can open several websites at the same time; hosting supports multiple domain names and allows you to work with different databases at the same time, by email. It will be possible to install advanced applications, libraries and other improvements that will help administer projects more efficiently.
Are there any weaknesses?
Of course, VPS seems good option, but it has certain disadvantages. For example, you will have to fork out money for a professional system administrator (unless, of course, the entrepreneur himself has all the necessary skills), since the provider is not responsible for the technical aspects of administration. You will have to configure everything yourself, and no one from the outside will be responsible for the functionality of the software.
If we talk in simple language, then hosting is the space required to store an Internet site, allocated by organizations that provide such a service and have at their disposal a certain number of servers on which client sites are stored. It ensures the site operates around the clock, so it is always available to Internet users. Of course, you can store the site on your computer and use special programs to make it accessible to Internet users. But in this case, the computer must work around the clock and not turn off, which it is simply not designed for.
Why do you need hosting?
A hosting provider is necessary to ensure that your website is constantly running and ensures high resource performance, regardless of how many users visit the site daily. The hosting service is a rental service, so each website owner periodically pays for storage space. Hosting providers often provide the opportunity to purchase a domain name, which is the address of the site.
Such a place is a rented apartment for the site, which, if desired, can always move to another place that it considers more suitable. The number of Internet resources is increasing every day, so competition in the field of hosting services is growing. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly difficult for owners of Internet resources to make the right choice.
Types of hosting
Hosting, or space to store a website, can be provided either for a fee or for free. Therefore, this service can be divided into two main types: paid and free.
Free hosting allows you to host a website without any investment. But at the same time, each provider offers, in exchange for paying for their services, to place their advertising on your website completely free of charge. At the same time, you cannot be sure of the high speed of work that is provided by paid resources, quality and wide capabilities for working with databases. Also, the domain name of the site will be of the third level.
If we consider the services of paid providers, they provide quality guarantees, ensure faster site operation, provide a second-level domain name and do not require anything else in return for their services other than payment. Paid providers provide their clients with wide range services with expanded capabilities. Also, in the paid version, the site owner can choose a tariff that is suitable for the cost, which will include the ability to host a certain number of sites and the allocated memory size for storing them. Over time, when the site expands or the number of your resources becomes more than acceptable, you can switch to another tariff plan that provides more features.
Paid hosting, in turn, is also divided into several types:
Shared hosting is the most popular. This is a server that allows you to host a large number of Internet resources. All server users have the same rights. On the main server, virtual ones are created in which sites with files and folders are stored. This option is optimal for beginners and intermediate resources;
Dedicated virtual server VPS. In this case, the user is provided with a certain disk space in which he can host his website and exercise full control over it. This opens up significant opportunities in customizing the software, but requires knowledge and skills;
A dedicated server is one of the most expensive services, but it provides maximum capabilities. In this case, the site owner is provided with a completely dedicated server on which to install any programs and OS, and also use it for any given task. The server will be maintained by the provider that provided it for use. This option is usually used largest companies and organizations that have websites with thousands of visitors;
Colocation - this type of hosting involves installing a server in the provider's data center. This option is the most expensive and provides the greatest opportunities.
The main type of equipment of hosting providers are servers of various capacities. The selection of servers is based on financial capabilities and preferences for providing services to site owners.
Thanks to the variety of types of hosting providers, each owner of an Internet site or several resources has the opportunity to choose the best option for himself in terms of price, functionality, performance and many other characteristics.
When choosing hosting, you should pay attention not only to the services it provides, as well as their cost, but also to authority, scale of activity, customer reviews and other parameters. This is the only way to choose the best option, which will not be too expensive in price, and ensure the necessary performance of the site.
Pros and cons of hosting
Each type of hosting has both positive and negative negative sides. Some options are cheaper and accessible for beginners, while others are more expensive, but have ample opportunities that allow you to actively develop an Internet resource. In order to minimize the disadvantages of each type, it is necessary to use them in stages. You can even start with free hosting, gradually moving to paid virtual hosting, and then to dedicated hosting, and so on. Thus, you can consistently develop your Internet resources with minimal tangible expenses required to pay for services for renting space on a server.
To save money, you can enter into contracts with providers for a year of service; in this case, the price is significantly reduced. But, on the other hand, during this time the site may grow, and it will need a more high-performance provider, and switching to it before the end of the contract will mean losing money. Each option has pros and cons to consider.
