Domain vs hosting: what is the difference?
Domain vs hosting explained for owners and students: the address vs the building, who you pay for each, where e-mail fits and what happens when one expires.
A domain is the address of your website, such as yourcompany.com, that you rent from a registrar for a year or more at a time. Hosting is the server space where the website or application actually lives and runs. The domain says where to go, the hosting is the building people arrive at. This is for owners and students who keep hearing both words in the same sentence.
Quick answer
- Domain = the address. You rent it from a registrar (for .hr, through CARNET or an authorised registrar).
- Hosting = the building. You rent server space from a hosting provider or cloud.
- E-mail can live with a third company. The domain’s DNS records decide where mail goes.
- If the domain lapses, the website and e-mail stop together, even if the hosting is paid.
- If the hosting lapses, the website stops, but the domain stays yours.
- Both should be registered in the company’s own name and accounts, not your developer’s.
What is a domain, and what is hosting?
A domain is a readable name that points to a server’s numeric address. You never buy it outright: you register the right to use it for a period and renew it. The CARNET FAQ on domene.hr says it plainly: the domain holder is not the owner of the domain, they hold the right to use it.
Hosting is the computer that stores your files, database and code and answers when someone visits. What a custom application costs to run month to month is covered in hosting and running costs after a custom application build.
The link between them is DNS: records kept at the domain that say “the website is on this server, mail goes to that one”. Change the DNS and the same address points to a new building.
Domain vs hosting vs e-mail at a glance
| Domain | Hosting | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | The address (yourcompany.com) | The server where the site or app runs | Mailboxes for @yourcompany.com |
| Who sells it | A registrar | A hosting or cloud provider | A mail provider (often a third company) |
| What you pay for | The right to use the name for a period, plus renewal | Server capacity, storage, traffic, backups | Mailboxes or users, storage |
| What breaks if it lapses | Website and e-mail, everything on the address | The website or app; the domain and mail can survive | Incoming and outgoing mail |
| Whose name it must be in | The company, as domain holder | The company’s account | The company’s account |
Where does e-mail fit in?
E-mail is a third service that only borrows your domain. A DNS record type called MX (mail exchanger) tells the internet which server accepts mail for your domain. That server can belong to your hosting company, or to a separate mail provider, while the website sits somewhere else entirely.
That is why “we are changing hosting” sometimes kills e-mail by accident: someone moves the DNS and forgets the MX records. Before any move, write down where MX points today.
What happens when a domain or hosting expires?
Hosting expires: the provider suspends the account and may later delete the files. Without your own backup, the site is gone. The domain is unaffected.
A generic domain (.com, .net, .org) expires. ICANN rules set the outline; your registrar’s terms fill in the details (gTLD domain life cycle, Expired Registration Recovery Policy):
- Before expiry: the registrar must warn the holder at least twice, about a month and about a week before.
- Expiry to 45 days (auto-renew grace): the registrar may keep the name renewable for up to 45 days; how long is the registrar’s choice. For at least the last 8 days it is renewable, the website and mail must be cut off.
- 30-day redemption grace period: once deleted, the name can still be restored by the same holder through the registrar, usually at an extra fee, but nothing resolves.
- 5 days pending delete: no one can restore it. After that the name is free for anyone to register.
A free .hr domain expires. Per the CARNET FAQ on domene.hr: the holder must renew it once a year; reminders go by e-mail 30 and 15 days before expiry, on the day, 10 days before deletion and on deletion day. An expired domain is deactivated: still registered to the holder, but not reachable. If it is not renewed within 15 days of deactivation, it is deleted automatically. Paid .hr domains are renewed and deleted through the authorised registrar you registered them with.
Notice the pattern: the reminders go to the e-mail address on the domain record. If that is your former developer’s inbox, nobody at your company will see them.
Why both must be in your company’s name
Whoever holds the domain and the hosting account controls your website, your e-mail and, for a web application, your customers’ access. If an agency registered them under its own name “to make it easier”, changing supplier becomes a negotiation instead of a handover. For .hr, the CARNET FAQ notes that the domain holder cannot simply be changed, except for a name change or legal succession.
This is the same principle as owning your code, explained in who owns the custom software you paid for. When we take over software from another supplier, moving domain, DNS and hosting accounts into the client’s name is one of the first steps. The full list is in taking over software from another agency.
Check this today
- Domain holder: look your domain up in a whois tool (for .hr on domene.hr). Is the holder your company? Is the contact e-mail one you read?
- Registrar account: who has the login, and is renewal set to automatic with a valid card?
- DNS login: who can change the records? It is often a different account from the registrar.
- MX records: where does mail point, and who pays that provider?
- Hosting account: is it in the company’s name, and do you have a recent backup outside it?
If one answer is “the agency” or “I don’t know”, fix that first. Deciding what to build on the domain? See website vs web application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a domain without hosting? Yes. A registered domain can sit unused or redirect elsewhere. You only need hosting when you want a website or application to load on it.
Do I need hosting to have e-mail on my domain? No. E-mail can be with a separate mail provider; the MX records on your domain point to it.
Is a domain bought forever? No. You register the right to use it for a period and renew it. If you stop renewing, it eventually becomes available to anyone.
Related Articles
- Who owns the custom software you paid for?
- Hosting and running costs after a custom application build
- Taking over software from another agency: a checklist
Changing supplier and not sure what you own?
We can check who holds your domain, DNS, hosting and code, and move everything into your company’s name as part of taking over the software.
Reach out at [email protected] or via the form on our homepage.