How a domain and hosting work together

Lesson 3 of 12, 6 min

About this lesson

Summary

See what happens, step by step, when someone types your address into their browser.

Follow along

Steps

A visitor types your domain name into their browser.
The domain points to your hosting, like a sign pointing to a building.
Your hosting sends your website back, and the page appears on the screen.
You need both, and your website stops working if either one runs out.

In writing

In a few words

Your domain is the address and your hosting is the building. When someone types your domain into their browser, the internet looks up where that address points. It finds your hosting, collects your website and shows it on their screen. All of that takes less than a second. You need both. An address with no building shows an error, and a building with no address is one nobody can find.

Words explained

Browser: the app you use to look at websites, such as Chrome or Safari.

Points to: when a domain is set up to send visitors to a particular host.