What is an IP Address?
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifying string of numbers, like 216.27.61.137, given to every individual computer, server, and network that is located on the Internet. Like a license plate is used to help identify vehicles, an IP address is used to identify and locate computers on the internet. The Internet does not in reality use names like google.com for addresses, but a series of numbers, like 127.0.0.1, called IP addresses.
What is a web host ?
A web host is basically a company that has specially configured computers that are permanently connected to the Internet. The web hosting company’s computers are identified on the internet by numbers or IP addresses. The hosting company allows you to place your website on their computers or servers, (usually because you are paying them a monthly fee to let you do this) so that your website can be viewed by others on the Internet.
What is a name server ?
A name server is similar to a telephone directory and will translate your domain name to the actual IP location of your website. For example, let’s say you type a domain like “google.com” into your web browser. In order to display the website associated with google.com, the browser needs to know the actual IP address of your website.
Name servers translate the domain name you and I use to the actual numeric IP address of the computer where your website is located. In order for your domain name to be found on the Internet, you must link your domain to your web host’s name servers.
Summary
- Register a domain name with a registrar like Godaddy or Lunarpages.
- Find a web hosting company where you can make your website files live on the internet. Most hosting companies do both, allow you to register a domain name and host your files.
- Link your domain name to the web host’s name servers, so the web host can translate your domain name to an actual numeric IP address.
If you are going to store your website files on my web server, then you need to link your domain name to the name servers. For example the hosting company Lunarpages would require you to link to their nameserves, ns1.lunarpages.com and ns2.lunarpages.com. Watch the video below for a demonstration on registering your domain name: