DNS is an abbreviation for domain name system. The domain name system is like the phone book for the internet.

DNS is essentially a database of IP addresses.  Each IP address contains a series of numbers that allow computers to communicate with each other. A website is identified on a server by its IP address. Instead of your visitors having to remember an IP address to type into their browser to access your site, they can instead just use your more memorable domain name. When your domain is entered into the browser, DNS translates it into an IP address because that is what computers understand. Your computer is able to connect to your domain hosting and show your website on the web browser once the IP address is found.

A domain name registration is the simple process of reserving your website's name for a specified period of time. The two parties involved with a domain registration are generally the user who is registering the domain and the domain registrar. The domain registrant is the user who actually registers the domain name (you) and the domain registrar is the company who helps that user with their domain registration (Hostyfile).

There are organizations, called registries, that manage each TLD option. When you are ready to register domain names, you would first visit Hostyfile. We in turn check with the registry, who manages the TLD of the domain you are interested in registering, to see if it the domain is available. If the domain for the TLD you want discovers that it is in fact available, the registry adds it to their registry and gives you access to it. If the domain for that TLD is unavailable because it has already been registered by another user, you will be shown during the domain registration process that the domain in fact is unavailable at that time.

You may be wondering who is in charge of all of these registration processes? Most countries manage a Network Information Center (NIC). An NIC is the main database that has all of the information regarding what domain names have been registered and the IP addresses associated with each of those domains. The nonprofit organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is in charge of creating and managing the procedures for internet namespaces.

Yes, you need web hosting to have a website. 

You can have a domain name. You can have domain hosting (AKA web hosting). But without the two together, you're not going to be able to have a website. Domain names and domain hosting are attached at the hip.

When you register a domain name, you are acquiring exclusive access for your visitors to use that web address to find you online. But if you want to actually put up a website at that address, you need domain hosting. Domain hosting is the service used to store all of the files that make up your website.

Think of domain names and domain hosting as a physical storefront. A domain name is like renting an address for a plot of land. It's your plot of land for as long as you keep paying your rent. At the end of the day though, it's still just a plot of land. You still need walls, windows, doors and a roof for your store. These are the files, databases, images and videos that your website consists of. This is your domain hosting. Without domain hosting, you can't have a website.

Looking to purchase domain hosting in addition to buying domain names? We'll be more than happy to help you with that as well. Your website will be hosted on our high performance SwiftServer platform. Best of all, we offer completely scalable hosting solutions that can support your site as it grows.

You may not think there are many features and benefits included when you register a domain name. Maybe you just have never registered a domain with Hostyfile. Let’s change that! Here is a list of just some of the benefits included with your Hostyfile domain name!

Setup Domain Auto-Renewal - Protects your domain from going back to the general domain pool if you ever miss a domain renewal email or invoice.Manage Nameservers - Set your nameservers or use custom nameservers for branding purposes. Custom nameservers are especially popular if you are reselling our services.Add Domain Theft Protection - Locks your domain to prevent it from being transferred away without your express permission. Update Contact Information- Edit the contact information associated with your domain name for the WHOIS records. It’s important to keep this updated so you can retain control of your domain. You can specify separate registrant and admin contact informationSetup Email Forwarding - Forward your emails to a different email address, allowing you to monitor your emails all within a single account.Manage DNS Records-  Use this section add and edit the A, MX, CNAME, SPF records and more for your domain.Manage All Domains - Easily renew your current domain, register a new domain or transfer a new domain to A2 Hosting.

Whether you're registering a new domain name or already have one, you're going to need Web Hosting if you want a website.

With Hostyfile, you can both register a domain and host your website. We aim to make your life easier and simplify your services by offering both!

Speaking of easy solutions, that's exactly the type of web hosting service you'll get at Hostyfile! That's because your account features the award-winning cPanel control panel. Manage your websites, files, databases, email and more all within its user-friendly graphical interface. Whether you've never run a website before or are an expert, you'll love cPanel!

At Hostyfile, we want you to succeed. Your website speed has a direct impact on your success. A mere 1-second delay has a negative impact on your bounce rate, conversion rate, visitor satisfaction and even your SEO rankings. Your choice of web host plays a large part in how fast your site loads. That's why we focus on offering high speed hosting solutions. Your sites each come hosted on our Swift Server platform, tuned for performance! You can even host on our  Turbo Servers featuring up to  20X FASTER page loads compared to competing domain registrars and web hosts!