Prayagasoft - web designer India, Ecommerce developer india, Ecommerce design

Network

Domain Names

How domain names works?

Before going in depth in domain names issues, let us first understand the need of a domain name. As mentioned earlier, your webpage will be hosted on your web host's server. Usually that server will have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address or encoded URLs which might look something like:

http://203.245.254.107

Now, just sit back and think that how troublesome someone who is visiting your site has to type all these numbers to access it. Here's where domain names come into play. Domain names will mask all these numerous numbers into something simpler like http://www.yoursitename.com When a user types the domain name yoursite.com in their browser, the Domain Name System (DNS) will translate the domain name into IP numbers. These are then used by the Internet to connect the user to yoursite.com's web site. Domain names thus gives you a unique identity on the Net thus creating your online brand, and your email addresses will have a more professional look being unique to your business.

How do I acquire a domain name?

There are two main ways you can get a domain name. You can either register your domain name yourself or you can get your web host or ISP (Internet Service Provider) to register it for you.

To register a domain name yourself you will need to choose a Registrar. A Registrar is an ICANN accredited domain registration company. There are hundreds of Registrars on the Internet nowadays.

Hosting

What is a hosting?

Come to think a hosting or web host as a place to store your website. The Internet is up 24-hours 7 days a week.  It is a worldwide network of computers.  For most people, putting a permanent connection to the Internet in their homes or small business is not practical or affordable.  Most people dial-up to the Internet with a modem. Because of this, you can not put your website or your e-mail system at home.  You have it located somewhere that is always online so others can send you mail or find your website-even when you are asleep. 

Where do I get a hosting?

There are tons of both paid and free web hosting companies on the Net. Just do a search on the term 'web hosting' and you'll be presented with a seemingly endless list of web hosting companies. Those that offer free hosting usually have advertisement banners on them; while this may be an annoyance to you if you are hosting your business site, it is quite convenient for the beginners to try it first before going to a paid one. Choosing the right web hosting for your needs will be a really crucial decision making stage.

I got my hosting, what's next?

Once you've selected your hosting package, you'll then have to upload your files to your web host's server. Since that process varies from web hosting companies, basically most of them uses something called FTP which stands for File Transfer Protocol. FTP provides you with an interface which interact with your local computer and the web host, and allows you to transfer your files easily, the same way as your would to transfer your files from one folder to the other on your hard disc.