Blog · WebJi® India

Difference between domain and hosting

Quick answer

A domain is the name people type to reach a website, such as yourbrand.in; hosting is the server that stores the site's pages, database and email. You need both, connected through nameservers. At WebJi®, a .in domain costs ₹1,000 a year and shared hosting starts at ₹299 a month, before 18% GST.

For first-time website owners in India who want to know what they are paying for and how the two pieces fit together.

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Read time: 6 min
Sections: 7
Updated: 14 Nov 2026
Written by: WebJi® team

Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.

What is the difference between a domain and hosting?

A domain is the name of a website; hosting is the server space where the website's files, database and email actually live. The domain tells browsers where to go, and hosting is what answers when they arrive, so a working site needs both.

Think of a shop in Jaipur's Johari Bazaar. The domain is the signboard and postal address that customers use to find it. Hosting is the rented shop itself, with shelves that hold the stock. An address with no shop leads to an empty plot; a shop with no address is hard to find.

Domain name vs web hosting, attribute by attribute
Attribute	Domain name	Web hosting
What it is	A registered name, e.g. yourbrand.in	Rented space on a server that stays online
Stores files?	No	Yes: pages, images, database, mailboxes
Sold by	A registrar accredited by the registry	A hosting company
Billing term	1–10 years, then renew	Monthly, yearly or multi-year
If you stop paying	The name expires and someone else can register it	The site and mail go offline; the name stays yours if renewed
Linked by	Nameservers set at the registrar, pointing to the host's DNS

What does a domain name do on its own?

A domain name is a human-readable label that DNS translates into the numeric IP address of a server. Computers locate each other by addresses such as 203.0.113.10; the domain lets people type yourbrand.in instead.

Registering a name gives you the right to use it for the years you pay for, recorded by the registry. Without hosting, the name can still do useful work: show a "coming soon" page, forward to an existing site, or run email if you point its MX records to a mail service. It cannot show a website, because nothing holds the pages.

The DNS layer that makes this work is explained in what DNS is, and the anatomy of a name (label, extension, subdomain) in what a domain name is.

What does web hosting do on its own?

Web hosting keeps your website's files on an always-on server and sends them to every browser that asks. A plan normally bundles disk space, a database, a control panel, SSL and mailboxes.

Without a domain, a hosted site is reachable only by its raw IP address or a temporary URL, which nobody will remember or print on a visiting card. Hosting types range from shared plans for small sites to VPS and dedicated servers; types of web hosting compares them.

How much do a domain and hosting cost together in India?

At WebJi®, a .in domain (₹1,000 a year) plus one year of Webji Launch shared hosting (₹2,868) comes to ₹3,868 before 18% GST, or ₹4,564.24 with it. The two are billed as separate lines, and each renews on its own date.

Common domain extensions at WebJi®, before 18% GST
Extension	First year	Renewal
.in	₹1,000	₹1,000
.co.in	₹809	₹877
.com	₹1,380	₹1,480

The hosting side, shown monthly in the switcher below, is Linux shared hosting; yearly terms work out to ₹2,868 for Launch, ₹3,828 for Turbo and ₹6,588 for Scale.

Entry

Webji Launch

Personal sites & blogs — start here

₹299/mo

₹299 billed monthly, cancel anytime

20 GB NVMe storage
1 website · 10 email accounts
Global CDN
ControlPanel.Systems + free SSL
Optimised PHP + Load balancing
One-click WordPress deploy

Order Launch

Webji Turbo

Business sites that need headroom

₹399/mo

₹399 billed monthly, cancel anytime

Unlimited NVMe storage
1 website · unlimited emails
Global CDN
ControlPanel.Systems + free SSL
Optimised PHP + Load balancing
Priority resource pool

Order Turbo

Most powerful

Webji Scale

Agencies & multi-site builders

₹699/mo

₹699 billed monthly, cancel anytime

Unlimited NVMe storage
Unlimited domains & emails
Global CDN
ControlPanel.Systems + free SSL
Optimised PHP + Load balancing
Most CPU & concurrent processes

Order Scale

18% GST added at checkout · every order button opens billing.webji.in · prices checked 14 November 2026.

Should you buy the domain and hosting from the same company?

Either works: one company means one login and nameservers set for you, while two companies is normal when you already own the name elsewhere. You never buy the same name twice to change hosts; you only repoint it.

Same company: one renewal calendar, one invoice, support can see both sides of a DNS problem.
Separate companies: keep a name registered years ago where it is, and host wherever suits the site.
Moving the name later: a domain transfer usually adds a year to the registration and needs the EPP code from the current registrar.

How do you connect a domain to hosting?

You connect them by replacing the nameservers at your registrar with the ones in your hosting welcome email. From then on, the host's DNS zone answers for the name and serves both the website and mail records.

Confirm you can log in to the registrar account that holds the domain.
Order hosting and copy the two or more nameservers from the welcome email.
At the registrar, replace the existing nameservers and save. The detailed screens are in how to change nameservers.
Wait for DNS to update, usually a few hours, then open the domain in a private window.
Recreate any email MX records in the new zone before switching if mail already runs on the name.

If you prefer to keep DNS at the registrar, point only the A record to the host's IP instead; pointing a domain to hosting covers both methods.

What goes wrong most often between domain and hosting?

The most common failure is renewing one and forgetting the other: the hosting is paid but the domain expires, and the site and email vanish together. Three other slips cause most support tickets:

Editing records in the wrong panel: after nameservers move to the host, A record changes at the registrar do nothing.
Forgetting MX on a host change: the website moves but mail keeps going to the old server, or stops.
Designing before registering: the preferred name gets taken while the site is being built. Register first.

Keep auto-renew on for both and read the domain renewal guide for grace periods. For help, email support@webji.services, 24/7 in Hindi and English, with an average first reply under 60 minutes.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is a free domain with hosting really free?

Usually only for the first year. The registration is bundled into a hosting term, and from year two the domain renews at the normal registry-based price. Check the renewal figure for the extension before choosing an offer built around a free name.

Does email come with the domain or with the hosting?

Mailboxes live on hosting or a mail service; the domain only supplies the address after the @. WebJi® shared plans include email accounts, and a dedicated business email plan suits teams that need larger mailboxes. MX records decide which service receives the mail.

What happens to my website if the domain expires but hosting is active?

The files stay on the server, but nobody can reach them by name, and email to the domain bounces. Renew during the grace period to restore everything; after that, redemption fees apply, and eventually the name can be released to the public.

Can one hosting plan run several domains?

Yes, if the plan allows it. Webji Launch and Turbo host one website each, while Webji Scale allows unlimited domains. Each extra domain is registered and renewed separately, then added to the hosting account as an addon domain.