First know what a domain, web hosting and type website before you ask the other person

If one day you plan to create a website, then look for a web designer, you'll want to know how the site were in working on and what settings are done and you need to know, for example: what is a domain? What is web hosting? what type my website? The following will answer all your questions before you ask yourself to the side of your web designer

What is The Domain ??

A domain name is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are also hostnames that identify Internet Protocol (IP) resources such as web sites. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS).

Domain names are used in various networking contexts and application-specific naming and addressing purposes. They are organized in subordinate levels (subdomains) of the DNS root domain, which is nameless. The first-level set of domain names are the top-level domains , including the generic top-level domains, such as the prominent domains com, net and org, and the country code top-level domains. Below these top-level domains in the DNS hierarchy are the second-level and third-level domain names that are typically open for reservation by end-users that wish to connect local area networks to the Internet, run web sites, or create other publicly accessible Internet resources. The registration of these domain names is usually administered by domain name registrars who sell their services to the public.

What is The Web Hosting ?

A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation or Housing as it is commonly called in Latin America or France.

The scope of hosting services varies widely. The most basic is web page and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with little processing. Many Internet service providers (ISPs) offer this service free to their subscribers. People can also obtain Web page hosting from other, alternative service providers. Personal web site hosting is typically free, advertisement-sponsored, or inexpensive. Business web site hosting often has a higher expense.

Single page hosting is generally sufficient only for personal web pages. A complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides database support and application development platforms (e.g. PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, and ASP.NET). These facilities allow the customers to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management. For e-commerce, SSL is also highly recommended.


The host may also provide an interface or control panel for managing the Web server and installing scripts as well as other services like e-mail. Some hosts specialize in certain software or services (e.g. e-commerce). They are commonly used by larger companies to outsource network infrastructure to a hosting company.


Types of Websites: CMS dynamic or HTML static ??

The two main types of websites which are available today are:

* Static, which is the traditional HTML web page. It basically consists of files in HTML format which the web server displays on demand.
* Dynamic, also referred to as a CMS or Content Management System, this is a website which uses scripting and a database to manage and serve content as requested.

The most common now is the dynamic CMS type. The beauty of CMS is that managing the content and keeping it up to date is relatively easy compared to the traditional HTML web site.

The down side of using a CMS type of website is that the load on the web server is greater as it has to use more processing and memory resources. This can slow down the page load time as well.

A CMS compatible web server needs to have Mysql database and PHP services installed to be able to host the CMS or dynamic web site. The most compatible being a Linux based web server with Apache, Mysql and PHP or as it is commonly referred to - a LAMP server.

Most large web hosting companies today have LAMP servers with very user friendly Control Panels (CP). They also have a "host" of tools and utilities to make life easy, such as "Automagic" CMS installing interfaces like "Fantastico". They also have management tools such as Backup Wizards, Domain managers, email redirectors - you name it.

Dynamic CMS style websites are most suited to websites that will be continuously added to or changed like Blogs or e-commerce sites. The database handles the content and the administrator / website owner can login via a web browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and edit the web-pages directly, almost like using a word processor. The changes are reflected in real time and the database keeps track of page names, links, content (images, text, multimedia), document hierarchy, date and time etc.

There is still a place for the traditional HTML style of web page, however they are fast becoming obsolete. Even for a simple web site that may consist of a few static pages, a CMS can be far more Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) friendly with custom designed plug-ins that make SEO management far more efficient.

So, if your looking to set up a new website or upgrade your existing web site, look into a CMS or dynamic website setup. They are not expensive to set up and have many benefits over the traditional HTML web site, including being able to easily manage it yourself.