When it’s time to register a new website, many people are confused that Domain Registration and Web Hosting are all the same and it doesn’t matter where they will register. In this article, we will help you understand the difference between the two.
DOMAIN NAME REGISTRAR
When someone wants to create a website the first thing to do is register the domain name in a domain registrar. A domain registrar is where you purchase your domain name or rent it for a period of time so no one else can use it and the domain name will be yours until its expiration. This is a business that handles the reservation of domain names as well as the assignment of IP addresses for those domain names.
WEB HOST
A web host is the one that provides service to house your files containing code and images that need to run on a server that has access to the Internet. They provide the “premises” on which you can place your website. In other words, a web host provides space for you to set up your website.
Explaning Domain Name Registrar vs. Web Host
Introduction
The process of finding, purchasing, and maintaining a domain name can be confusing. But it doesn’t have to be! Domain names are leased from registries by registrars licensed by ICANN.
There is a lot of confusion about the role of domain name registrars, web hosting providers, and Internet registries.
Domain name registrars are accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). They are responsible for ensuring that authorized parties can register new domains and update existing registrations. In order to do this, they must ensure that any information provided by applicants meets certain criteria set out by ICANN.
Web hosts provide space on a server for your website files; they also make them available on the Internet via an associated IP address which allows people all over the world to access your site directly from their computer or mobile device without having to use their own internet connection (this is known as “free” hosting). If you want more space than what’s provided with free hosting then it will cost extra money per month but if you use something called VPS then there won’t be any additional costs whatsoever!
Before we begin, it’s important to understand that when you register a domain name, you do not own it.
When you register a domain name, you do not own it. Instead, the domain owner has the right to use that domain name for as long as they want to and can transfer that right to other parties as well. The registry or company that manages this process is called a registrar (and I’ll be using “registrar” throughout this article).
The registrar is responsible for maintaining all of the records related to your domains so that when someone requests registration information from them (for example by filling out an online form), they know who owns which domains and how much time each one has been registered for.
You rent the right to use that domain name for the period specified in your registration agreement. This means that you are not buying it, but rather renting it from a company called a registry (also known as “the Registry”). The other company involved in this transaction is Verisign or Neustar depending on which country you live in and what suffixes are available there.
The Registry manages these names and assigns them to users who request them through their website or application programming interfaces (APIs). They also maintain records of their own status so they can prevent unauthorized registrations and transfer requests if necessary.
The registry, or company that tracks who owns which domains, manages this process. They are responsible for ensuring that the owners of domains are in compliance with their policies and procedures. They also make sure that any changes made to a domain name by an owner will remain active as long as they’re current with their payments throughout the year.
All of the world’s TLDs are overseen by one of these entities. The GAC, ICANN, and NROs oversee the operation of registries in their respective countries. For example, the National Regulatory Organizations (NRO) determine how they regulate domain name registration in their jurisdictions. ICANN oversees all TLDs, including .com, .org, .net etc.
For example, Verisign is the administrator of .com, while Neustar oversees .biz.
Domain name registries are the organizations that oversee the registration of domain names. They can be either for-profit or nonprofit, and they typically have a large number of registrars under contract with them (although there are some exceptions).
The largest registry is Verisign, which is owned by Symantec Corporation. It operates .com and .net as well as provides services such as SSL certificates and DNS hosting for other registrants. The second largest registry is Neustar Corporation, which runs .biz; it also offers SSL certificates via its subsidiary Comodo Solutions Limited (formerly VeriSign Global Registry Services).
That’s where registrars come in. When you purchase a domain name from your registrar, they’ll be able to act as an intermediary between you and the registry. This means that they’re responsible for paying fees for services like registering a domain name and providing additional features like email accounts and DNS service.
Registrars are accredited by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to sell domain names because they meet certain requirements in order to ensure that customers can trust them with their money. This accreditation means that registrars must meet certain criteria related to safety, security, privacy, and operational standards; some of these include having staff who have been trained on how best practices should be followed when working with sensitive data such as passwords or credit card numbers
ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It’s a non-profit organization that has been responsible for managing the domain name system (DNS) and IP address space allocation since 1998. ICANN is based in Los Angeles, California
Their Role
Domain name registrars are companies that act as an intermediary between customers and the registry, charging a fee for services such as registering a domain name and providing additional features like email accounts and DNS service.
For example, if you wanted to buy your own domain name without having to go through any middlemen (like GoDaddy), you would have to talk directly with the registrar who manages it. The registrar acts as your “manageress” — they’re responsible for everything related to managing your personal website on their server once it’s created by another party (the Web host).
When people talk about their “domain name provider” or “domain registrar” they’re usually referring to their web host, but this isn’t technically correct.
A domain name provider is a company that manages all aspects of your website, including DNS (Domain Name System) and web hosting. The difference between these two roles is that the domain name registrar takes care of everything else: registering your domains through an accredited registrar, providing customer support, transferring domains into its management system when requested by customers, and maintaining backups of all customer data as well as billing information.
Web hosts provide space on a server for your website files while acting as a middleman who provides access points to the Internet: an IP address (Internet Protocol Address) which tells other computers where your site lives so they can find it when someone tries to reach it via their browser or search engine results page (SERP).
Web hosts provide space on a server for your website files — typically images, text, and code — and make them available on the Internet via an associated IP address. Your web host is responsible for keeping your site up-to-date and secure, including performing routine maintenance tasks such as backups.
Web hosts range from small businesses offering basic services like virtual private servers (VPS) to large corporations that offer everything from dedicated servers with multiple CPU cores and GPUs to high-profile cloud infrastructure services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Domain names are leased from registries by registrars licensed by ICANN. Registrars provide the space on a server for your website files, make them available on the Internet via an associated IP address and manage DNS records for your domain. Web hosts provide space on a server for your website files, make them available on the Internet via an associated IP address and manage DNS records for your domain.
Conclusion
In summary, the best way to understand domain name registrars is to think of them as service providers. They help customers register their domains, handle customer support requests, provide additional features like email accounts and DNS service and make sure that the associated IP address(es) remain available on the Internet.
Domain name registrar and web host are two different types of business but they are also connected in some ways. You may encounter registrars that also offer web hosting services because it’s difficult to make huge profits from just selling domains or vice versa. You can also register a domain name via runhost.com.
So, when launching your new website, you have to register first the domain name on the registrar and let your files live on your hosting provider’s web server at a specific IP address. Remember this, the DNS records need to be updated in the domain registrar control panel to direct traffic from your domain name to the IP address on the web server — that allows people to access your website. This is why both owning a domain name and having a web host are needed for people to find your website at your web address.
But the main difference is Domain registrar is where you register your domain name and a Web host is where you rent space for your website.
