For a website to be online, you need two separate things: hosting, which holds the site, and a domain name, which lets people find it. DNS links the two. This article explains the role of each.
In short: hosting holds your site's files, the domain name is the address that lets people find it, and DNS translates that name into an IP address. SwissCenter hosting plans do not include the domain name.
What is the difference between hosting and a domain name?
Web hosting refers to the storage space on servers where your website's files and data are kept. It makes your site's content accessible to internet users.
The domain name, on the other hand, is the address that gives access to your site, for example www.votresite.ch. It serves as a unique identifier on the internet.
You can compare them as follows: hosting is the house in which your site lives, the domain name is its postal address.
Technically, hosting relies on servers that store the site's files. The domain name uses a naming system that points to the IP address of the hosting server. For visitors, hosting remains invisible: they only see and use the domain name.
Hosting is provided by SwissCenter and is managed from your Apanel console. The domain name, for its part, is registered for a given period with a registrar, that is, a company authorized to register domain names. SwissCenter also offers domain name registration (.ch, .li and other extensions): you order, transfer and manage them from the Domain names management console, whose link appears at the top of your Apanel console when your contract includes this access.
Both are essential for a website that works and is accessible online.
Is the domain name included in your hosting?
No: SwissCenter hosting plans do not include the domain name.
The domain name is therefore reserved separately, with SwissCenter or with another registrar. You then point it to your SwissCenter hosting by assigning it our name servers (see Point your domain to SwissCenter (name servers)).
What is DNS used for?
DNS is used to "translate" your domain name in order to indicate where to find your site on the internet.
When you type www.votresite.ch into your browser, the internet must be able to locate your site. But the internet does not work with names like votresite.ch, it works with IP addresses, for example 192.0.2.1.
DNS services therefore translate the domain name into an IP address, somewhat like a map that helps you find an address.
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