You decide to create a website for your company or service and you are faced with a series of acronyms and complicated terms. CSS, HTML, and other terms may confuse people who are not accustomed to the language involved in creating and maintaining web pages.
In this scenario, two terms can cause major confusion.
Domain and hosting designate two fundamental things for the existence of any page and understanding how it works is the first step towards creating a successful online presence with domain hosting services.
Key Features of a Hosting Server
A hosting server is a kind of “virtual space” in which multimedia content, scripts, CSS files and the HTML code of a web page are stored. They can be provided free of charge or through paid services and differ mainly by their control characteristics and features.
A free hosting solution, for example, may include the publication of advertising banners on the web page as a counterpart to the use of the service. The support and as well as the resources are also limited. These limitations, coupled with reduced storage space and limited use of databases and other technologies, are often directed to encourage the use of paid plans.
Already the paid hosting service like HTML hosting provides greater control and availability. You can choose a plan that has the features you need for your site, and in most cases, customer support runs 24 hours a day. Paid hosting services also do not serve advertisements on your site.
How to choose a hosting?
During the hiring of a hosting service, several details must be evaluated. It is through this analysis that will define the solutions that best fit the needs of a site, both in terms of resources and control.
The first step is to check the amount of space that will be required for the hosting of the page. There is no way to get a precise value. However, by checking the level of resources, a number of images and other content that will be used, you can get an idea. In any case, prioritize services that are scalable. This way, your company can expand the available space whenever it is necessary.
The definition of the size of the public that is intended to be reached is also indispensable. This allows a better assessment of the size of the monthly traffic that will be contracted, a metric that is used across multiple planes. In this case, the rule is simple: the higher the number of visitors, the greater the traffic.
Control options should not be ignored. A page can be the access key for a lot of private information. In this sense, the contracted company must provide several options for those seeking the maintenance of sensitive data in security. Security protocols define how the business will deal with digital transactions and other sensitive transactions, so choose services that have security as a priority.
The control panel should allow easy access to all resources used by the company. Through it, you can create new accounts, modify permissions, and contract new resources.
If the hosting server is used to access critical resources, the company must also evaluate the uptime of the service. Ideally, it should remain available for more than 99% of hits, so that the number of users affected by a system crash is as small as possible. And if the company needs access records for evaluation and creation of marketing operations, look for solutions that support analytics tools.
Key features of a domain
The domain functions as an address for the sites. It is the “translation” of the server IP on which the page is hosted to an easily memorized written address. Through it, we can access any content via the web.
The structure of a URL varies according to the type of address. Pages with the ending address in .com, for example, are set for business services. Those with the .gov are reserved for government institutions, while the .org for non-governmental organizations.
A complete address will be in the form http://www.name-of-site.com, where HTTP helps the browser to identify the communication protocol (in this case, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol). The www refers to the fact that the page is available on the World Wide Web, followed by the name of the page. Finally, in the last two divisions, the indicators of the type of domain (commercial, governmental, etc.) and the country are inserted.
It is not always necessary to type all this data to access a page. With the technological developments of recent years, the need to enter “www” before accessing a domain, for example, has been eliminated. In addition, it is not uncommon to find pages without the country flag at the end of the URL.
How to hire a domain?
The hiring of a domain is a relatively simple process. Once the availability of the domain is checked, through hosting companies, you can register the domain by filling out a registration and making payment for registration. After domain registration and payment confirmation, you must configure the DNS values for the domain to work on your site. DNS is responsible for converting your domain to the IP address of the hosting server where the site is stored. DNS values will be made available to you by the web hosting service provider.
The renewal of the domain registration is done annually, but it is possible to register a domain for a period longer than 1 year, simply selecting a number of years desired at the time of registration. Upon renewal, if the user misses the deadline, the address will be frozen for a few weeks. When it is frozen, the domain will be disabled, but can still be recovered by the person who registered it, enough for that, if the value of the renewal is paid. If the domain is not renewed, it expires and can be registered by any other interested person.
Having a hosting and a registered domain, just make the configuration of the DNS so that the two services “speak” and your site happens to work with the domain that you chose.
How do domain and hosting fit into the creation of a web page?
There is no way to create and publish a web page without the existence of a hosting server and the registration of a domain. Both articulate, together, so people can access content on the web. If the hosting server were a home, the domain would be its address, allowing anyone to find it on the internet.
Because they are two basic parts of any page, the company must carefully define the services used to register the domain and store the web page. That way, it will avoid inconvenience and ensure the reliability of your site. In addition, the domain should be easy to remember so that people can always return to your site.
Thinking about registering a domain and hosting a website? Get in touch with our team!
