Spark Rack

Domain Names – What are they and do I need one?


Posted: January 11th, 2020 06:59pm Author: Andrew Campbell Category: Contributor's Corner

Every website has a specific address, known as an IP (Internet Protocol) Address which typically looks like this 127.0.0.1, 4 sets of numbers which tells your browser where to go (IPv6 is the newest standard although not widely used at the time of this writing, for more information check out our post on IPv6).  This is the county parcel number of the internet.  Each website has its own parcel number, like your home property has its own.  When you give someone your address, do you give them the county parcel number of the property or do you give them your street address so they can find the house?

A Domain name is the street address of the to your website.  Each website has its own domain name just like each house has its own address. Some websites can share the same server, this is commonly referred to as “shared hosting”. Each website operates independently of each other, but are all hosted on the same server. This type of hosting is often much cheaper than other forms, and is ideal for most use cases, such as personal websites or blogs, and for small businesses.

How do I get my own domain name?

At Spark Rack we can register your domain name once you have selected the one you want as long as it is available to purchase, you can check the domain name availability with our domain name checker.  The domain name can be whatever it is you want it to be, however, it can’t be the same exact domain name as another website.  If the domain is available, you can purchase it.

How do I use my domain name?

With the example above, when you give directions to your house, you give them the street address.  It’s the same for a website.  When you tell someone your website address, you would give them your domain name, such as sparkrack.com.  On the unseen side of this, Spark Rack will complete the process of setting up your domain name so when you type that into a browser, your browser will go to the right website.

For more information about domain names and how to get your own, please visit us at sparkrack.com.

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