Domain name or hosting: what is the difference?

These are two separate products often bought together, which is what keeps the confusion alive.

The domain name

This is the address. You rent it per period and it contains nothing: it is a signpost.

The hosting

This is the space where your files and your mail actually sit. Without hosting your domain name leads nowhere.

Why the distinction matters

You can change hosting provider and keep your domain name, and the other way round. If you treat them as one product you believe you are locked in when you are not.

Where it goes wrong

Somebody moves the hosting and forgets that mail follows a different path, or lets a domain expire because the invoice came from another party.

What you write down

Where your domain is registered, where your hosting sits, and who has access to both. That is the information always missing at the worst moment.