The short answer
A domain name is your website’s address; hosting is the computer where its files and email live. They are bought separately, renewed separately, and connected by DNS settings that tell the internet which server answers for the name.
The address and the building
A domain name (for example yourbusiness.com) is what people type. It is registered for a period, usually a year at a time, through a registrar that records you as its holder. On its own it does nothing: it points nowhere until you tell it where to point.
Web hosting is the service that stores your website’s files, databases and email on a server that is switched on all the time. It has an address of its own, a series of numbers called an IP address, which nobody wants to type.
DNS is the phone book that joins them. It says: “for yourbusiness.com, ask this server.”
What you need, and in what order
- Register the domain (or already own one).
- Buy hosting and note the nameservers or server address it gives you.
- Point the domain at the hosting by changing its nameservers, or by editing a DNS record. The guide to nameservers and DNS records explains both and the safe order.
- Put the website on the hosting and test it.
They can come from different companies
You do not have to buy both from one provider. A domain registered anywhere can be pointed at hosting anywhere. Buying both from one company is simply convenient: one login and one invoice. Keeping them separate can be a good safeguard, because if you ever leave a host you keep the address.
They renew separately
This is the trap that takes websites offline. A domain that lapses stops working even though the hosting is paid for, and hosting that lapses takes the site down even though the domain is fine. Put both renewal dates in your calendar, and use an email address you actually read for the registrar account.
What each one does not do
- A domain on its own does not give you a website or email addresses; those need hosting (or an email service) behind them.
- Hosting on its own does not give you a name; without a domain people reach it only by its numeric address.
How it works with Goji hosting
A domain name is needed before buying. It can be registered with Goji or be a domain registered elsewhere; nameservers are changed to point at the hosting.
If you still need a domain, DomainNepal.com is where domains are searched and registered. For the step-by-step buying order, Goji has a separate guide to buying a domain and hosting together.
Common questions
Can I buy a domain from one company and hosting from another?
Yes. Point the domain’s nameservers (or an A record) at the hosting provider. Many people keep them separate on purpose.
Which comes first, the domain or the hosting?
Either, but the domain is usually first because hosting providers ask which domain the account is for. Goji, for example, asks for the domain when you order.