Domain Names in a Nutshell

Setting up a website can be a little confusing when you start talking about domain names, web hosting, IP Addresses and all the registration that has to go on in that process.

Here it is in a nutshell...

1. First your domain name gets registered - all this does is reserve the name and assign ownership to you. No one else can use that name now. The domain name is added to a directory of registered names so that no one else can use it.
2. When people type in your domain name they get taken to a web server that is hosting your website. Your website has an IP Address that computers use to uniquely find each other on the Internet. A Domain Name Server is used to associate your domain name with the IP Address.

So, you have a Domain Name Registrar, then a Domain Name Server - together these services provide the information that someone else needs to find your website on the Internet.

When a user types in your domain name this is the process:

1. A request is sent to the Domain Name Server to get the IP Address of the web server for your website.
2. The IP Address is sent back to the user.
3. The user can then find the web server with the IP Address and your website is loaded.

Click the flow chart for a larger view.