WHAT IS A DOMAIN NAME?
How Does It All Work?
Although websites are everywhere around us, and seemingly everyone has one, there are many parts that need to work together in order for them to work properly. If you want to learn more about websites and how they work behind the scenes, you came to the right place! This series will break down what happens when you use a website, as well as what goes into building one.
What is a Domain Name?
Each web server has it's own IP address. This is a number that looks something like "127.0.0.1" and is the main way the server can be accessed. Obviously, nobody is going to be handing out business cards with the IP address of their web server on them, so thats where domain names come in handy!
A domain name is the name we associate with a website rather than it's IP address. For example johnclendvoy.ca, google.com, or wikipedia.org are all domain names.
A domain name is easy to register for. There are many sites that offer this service, such as NameCheap and GoDaddy to name a few. most domain names cost relitively little to register for a year, but some, depending on their length, or subject, can cost quite a bit.
Once your domain is registered to you, you will be given permission to attach that domain name to a web server of your choice. If you already have the source code of your website written, and it is available on a web server, you can associate your domain name with that web server, that way people can be directed to your site by entering your domain name!
What's Next?
You just read a page from a series explaining how web development works. If you are following along in order, click the button below for the next step in the process.
What is a Web Browser?If this page left you wondering about other parts of web development, check out the answers to some other common questions below!