What are the parts you need to make a website work?
Domain Name
Every website needs a domain.
The domain, or ‘domain name’ is the ‘address’ of the website, what users type into their browser, and what you’ll print on your business cards.
For example, the domain of this website is “tigerfinch.com”.
Domains live with a registrar, and must be paid for each year.
If we are looking after your domain for you, we’ll transfer it to our registrar, ensure it remains registered, and invoice you for it each year.
DNS
Every domain needs DNS; it’s an invisible piece ties everything else together.
The DNS (Domain Name Server) holds the information which tells people where the hosting is for your domain. It is like an address book for the internet. It contains many records known as “DNS records” for the different services set up on your domain.
When you visit ‘tigerfinch.com’ in your browser, your browser:
- finds the DNS server for ‘tigerfinch.com’
- ask the DNS server where the webserver for ‘tigerfinch.com’ is (this is usually the ‘A’ record)
- asks the webserver for the website
Another type of DNS records (‘MX records’) tell email systems which server they should send emails to if they want to email you.
It can also store other information about your website and domain, including security information to prevent spam.
DNS is usually provided free with a domain or hosting.
If we are providing DNS for you, we usually do this via the hosting we are providing. We will take care of updates for you. We do not invoice separately for DNS.
Hosting
Every website needs hosting.
Hosting is the server (computer) which stores the website. This is also called a webserver.
The webserver provides storage for the website (for files and databases), and runs the software which makes the website work (e.g. WordPress).
Hosting must be paid for each year.
If we are providing hosting for you, we’ll store your website on our server, usually provide some basic support and maintenance, and invoice you for it each year.
Website
The website is the software and files which live on the hosting.
It includes the words and images on the website.
Most websites also have some software which lives on the server, and provides an interface to edit the website, and makes sure that your words and images come together correctly. This is called a CMS (Content Management System).
Most sites we build are using WordPress, which is the most common Content Management System in use.
If we are providing you with hosting, we include basic support, maintenance, and security updates, and can make some updates to the website for you.
If you want to send and receive emails @yourdomain, you will need an email server.
Your email server can be the same server as hosts the website, or it can be a separate server, for example if you want to use Office365 or gmail for your emails.
If we are providing email services for you, your emails will be hosted on the webserver. We usually include this in the hosting costs.