3 minute read
Domains, DNS and hosting, in plain words
A domain is the name people type, like example.com, which you rent yearly from a registrar. Hosting is the computer that stores and serves your website's files. DNS is the address book that connects the two: it tells browsers which hosting server answers for your domain. You can buy the domain in one place and host anywhere.
The three pieces
- Domain: your name on the internet. Rented, usually yearly, from a registrar.
- Hosting: where the site lives. Free for most new projects on Cloudflare, Vercel or Netlify.
- DNS: records that point the name at the host. You set these once, usually by copying two or three values the host gives you.
The records you will meet
- A / AAAA: points the name at a server’s numeric address.
- CNAME: points the name at another name, like
yoursite.pages.dev. - MX: where email for the domain goes.
- TXT: proof of ownership, plus email security records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
Common mistakes
- Paying for hosting at the registrar when free hosting is better.
- Letting the domain expire. Turn on auto-renew.
- Forgetting email records, so mail from your app lands in spam.