I want to fully grasp the differences between a domain and hosting. What do DNS records like A, CNAME, MX, etc., do? Also, what are the essential hosting features required to host a website? How do we connect these concepts, and what should we pay attention to in practice? What are your experiences with these?
What Are the Key Differences Between Domain and Hosting, and How Do DNS Records Work?
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A domain is like an "address" on the internet, while hosting is the "land" where you place actual content at that address. It's easier to understand this way. You register a domain with a registrar and register the name resolution information with a DNS server. On the other hand, hosting is a service that provides servers (shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud, etc.), where web servers (Apache, Nginx, etc.), databases, and mail servers operate. Domains and hosting are linked via DNS A records or CNAME records, and when the name is converted to an IP address, the browser accesses the correct server.
The main roles of DNS records are as follows:
- **A Record**: Directly links a domain name to an IPv4 address, indicating the destination for website access.
- **CNAME Record**: Sets an alias, for example, forwarding `www.example.com` to `example.com`. Since CNAME points to another domain name instead of an A record, management is easier even if the IP changes.
- **MX Record**: Specifies the mail delivery destination and sets the priority of mail servers. You can also build failover by setting multiple MX records.
The minimum hosting features required to operate a website are **HTTP/HTTPS provision**, **stable bandwidth**, **sufficient disk space and I/O**, and **backup and recovery**. Additionally, if you use a CMS like WordPress, support for PHP and MySQL (or MariaDB) is essential. It's reassuring to have features like Let’s Encrypt support for automatic SSL certificate renewal and a firewall for DDoS protection.
Practical points to note include setting the DNS TTL (time to live) initially to a shorter duration to quickly reflect IP changes or subdomain additions, and **avoiding duplicate settings for A and CNAME records**. If you need to operate mail, don't forget to add authentication records like MX priority, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. By checking the entire process from domain registration to DNS settings and hosting selection, the occurrence of troubles can be significantly reduced.