What is web hosting? A plain-English guide

Hosting, domains and builders are different things

A domain is the address people use, such as example.com. Hosting stores and runs the website at that address. A content management system, such as WordPress, lets you edit it. You can buy these from different companies and connect them using DNS.

A website builder usually includes hosting in its subscription. If you use a hosted builder, do not buy a separate hosting plan unless you have a specific reason. A domain alone does not include a complete website, and email may be a separate product.

What happens when someone visits?

The visitor's browser finds the server using DNS, requests a page over HTTPS and receives files or a page assembled by your application. The host supplies the infrastructure; who maintains the application depends on the plan.

For example, a local bakery might use a builder for opening hours and a contact form. A blogger might use WordPress on managed hosting. A custom booking application may need an application platform or VPS. They all use hosting, but not the same product.

Which type should a beginner choose?

Shared hosting divides a machine among customers and can suit a small conventional site. Managed WordPress adds defined WordPress maintenance. A VPS is a virtual machine with more control; a dedicated server is a whole physical machine. Cloud is an infrastructure model, not a promise that your application automatically survives every failure.

Start with the simplest option that runs your actual website. Confirm supported software, storage, backups, restoration, SSL, email, renewal charges and support scope. Do not rent an unmanaged server just because its specifications look impressive.

Before you pay

Write down what you are building, who will update it and how you will recover it if something breaks. Compare the full first invoice and the next renewal, including domains, email, tax and optional extras. A displayed monthly rate can require years of payment upfront.

Keep the domain registered in an account you control, use unique passwords and multifactor authentication, and test a backup. You can change hosts later if you can export the site; hosted builders may restrict portability. Use our cost guide and hosting-type comparison before choosing a plan.

What are web and email hosting?

Web hosting serves your website; email hosting sends, receives and stores messages for your domain.

They can be purchased together or from separate providers. DNS website records and MX mail records point to different systems; moving a website does not require moving mail.

Before a move, record MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings, mailbox sizes and renewal prices. Keep existing mailboxes active until messages and DNS are verified at the new service.

What does hosting a server mean?

It means running a computer or virtual machine that other computers connect to for a service, such as a website or game.

A hosted server needs power, connectivity, an operating system and software listening for requests. Website hosting may hide that work behind a control panel; renting an unmanaged server does not.

Before renting, decide who patches it, opens firewall ports, monitors failures and restores backups. Home hosting also needs suitable router settings, reliable connectivity and permission under your internet agreement.

What is virtual hosting?

Virtual hosting is a technique that allows a single web server to host multiple websites under different domain names while sharing the same server hardware. It is the fundamental technology that makes shared hosting possible, allowing hosting companies to run thousands of websites on a single server efficiently.

There are two main types of virtual hosting. Name-based virtual hosting serves multiple websites from the same IP address, distinguishing between them by the domain name in the HTTP request header. This is the most common type and is how shared hosting works: one server, one IP address, many websites, each identified by its domain name.

IP-based virtual hosting gives each website its own IP address on the same physical server. This was important before SNI (Server Name Indication) enabled name-based HTTPS. Today, SNI allows multiple websites with their own SSL certificates to share an IP address, making IP-based virtual hosting less necessary.

Virtual hosting at the VPS level refers to VPS hosting itself: one physical server divided into multiple virtual machines using hypervisor software like KVM or VMware. Each virtual machine is isolated, with its own operating system, CPU, and RAM allocation. This is the architecture behind VPS hosting products.

For website owners, virtual hosting is largely invisible infrastructure. Whether you are on shared hosting or a VPS, virtual hosting techniques make it possible for hosting companies to efficiently allocate server resources across many customers. The concept matters most when configuring your own server, where you configure virtual hosts to serve multiple domains from one server.

What hosting does Facebook use?

Facebook is a large Meta service built on its own infrastructure, not a small website on a retail shared-hosting plan.

A DNS or IP lookup may show a network serving one request, but it cannot reveal every application, database, cache or data centre behind Facebook. Infrastructure changes over time.

Do not copy an enterprise architecture for a new website. Choose hosting around your own application, budget and maintenance skills; Meta's public engineering publications are a better source for its systems than retail host rankings.