Glossary · ENCheck a domain

Web hosting

Web hosting is a service that keeps a website’s content and the systems needed to deliver it available online. When someone opens a page, the hosting service helps provide that page and its supporting files to the person’s browser.

What does a hosting service provide?

A website can include page text, images, styles, scripts, and other files. A hosting service stores or runs the parts needed by the site and responds when a visitor’s browser requests them. For a simple portfolio, that may mean sending the same page files to every visitor. A shop or news site may also use software and a database to prepare a page with current products or stories when someone asks for it. The word “hosting” covers both kinds of arrangements; it does not mean that every site is stored as a folder of ready-made pages.

The service matters because a website needs more than an address. Someone must keep its content available and connect a visitor’s request to the right content. A person can serve a small site from a computer at home, but a hosting service usually provides equipment and an internet connection intended to remain available, along with some level of maintenance. The exact features and responsibilities depend on the service.

How does hosting work with a domain?

Web hosting and a domain have different jobs. Hosting provides the site’s content or runs its software. The domain is a readable name used to reach an internet service. DNS settings help a browser find where requests for a domain should go. Buying a domain does not by itself provide website content, and paying for hosting does not always include a custom domain.

For example, Alex has a portfolio at https://example.com. Her domain is example.com; her hosting service stores the portfolio’s files and makes them available. When she types the address, the browser uses DNS information to find the service that handles the request, then asks it for the portfolio page. The browser displays the response. If Alex bought the domain and hosting from different companies, the domain’s DNS settings must point visitors to the right hosting service.

What changes when a website moves to another host?

Suppose Alex changes hosting companies but keeps example.com. The name can remain hers while the website’s files or application move to the new service. To send visitors to the new host, she also needs the domain’s relevant DNS settings to identify the new destination. If those settings still point to the old host, visitors may continue to reach the old site or see an error. The domain, website content, and hosting service are related, but they are separate parts that need to be connected correctly.

Moving a website does not automatically move every other service that uses the domain. Email may be handled by a separate provider, for example. Its delivery depends on its own service and domain settings, so a website move should not be assumed to move or replace email.

Is hosting the same as a content delivery network?

Not necessarily. A hosting service commonly keeps or runs the site’s original content. A content delivery network, or CDN, can keep temporary copies of some content on servers closer to visitors and send those copies more quickly. A CDN can work alongside a host; it does not automatically replace the service that stores or runs the website.

Related terms