Domains, hosting and DNS: what each one does
Your domain is the name, registered at a registrar. Hosting is the server that holds your website. DNS is the directory that connects the two. At Oogle, your domain stays at your registrar, we host the site, and DNS runs on Cloudflare.
On this page
A website needs three things: a domain (the name people type), hosting (the server that stores and runs the website) and DNS (the directory that tells browsers which server answers for that name). They're often bought from different companies. At Oogle, your domain stays at the registrar you bought it from, we host the website, and DNS runs on Cloudflare in an account we manage for you.
The domain: your name on the internet
A domain such as example.com is rented by the year from a registrar, a company accredited to sell names (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace and Porkbun are examples). You're the registrant, which means the domain is yours as long as you keep renewing it.
Oogle doesn't register or sell domains. You keep your domain at your own registrar, in your name, and renewing it stays your job (or the job of whoever looks after your accounts). See How domain registration, renewal and expiry work.
Hosting: where the website lives
Hosting is a computer that's always online and holds your website's files and database. When someone visits, the hosting server builds the page and sends it back. If you're an Oogle client, this part is ours: we run the server, keep it updated and make hosting changes for you on request.
DNS: the directory that joins them
Computers find each other by number (an IP address), not by name. DNS turns your domain into the right number, and it does the same job for email, sending mail for your domain to your email provider. These instructions are called DNS records: an A record for the website, MX records for email, TXT records for verification and so on. See DNS records explained.
Which company answers for your records is decided by your domain's nameservers, which are set at the registrar. See What are nameservers?.
How it fits together at Oogle
| Part | Who provides it | Where it's managed |
|---|---|---|
| Domain registration | Your registrar | Your registrar account |
| Nameservers | Cloudflare (two per domain) | Set at your registrar |
| DNS records | Cloudflare, in Oogle's account | Changed by Oogle on request |
| Website hosting | Oogle | Changed by Oogle on request |
| Your email provider | With your email provider |
When you join, we add your domain to Cloudflare. Cloudflare gives it two nameservers of its own, we send them to you, and you (or we, with access to your registrar) set them at your registrar. From then on, Cloudflare answers for your domain, and we keep the records pointing at your website and your email provider. Why Cloudflare? See Why Oogle uses Cloudflare for DNS.
A simple way to remember it
- The domain is your address.
- DNS is the map that says where that address is.
- Hosting is the building at that spot.
Moving your website to a new host means updating the map, not changing the address. That's why moving to Oogle needs a nameserver change, not a domain transfer.
Who to contact for what
- Renewing or paying for the domain: your registrar.
- Changing nameservers or unlocking the domain: your registrar. Our guides show where: change nameservers.
- Adding or changing a DNS record (for example, to verify a service or set up email): Oogle. Open a Website Support ticket. See How to ask us to change a DNS record.
- The website itself: Oogle, through a Website Support ticket.
- Mailboxes and passwords for email: your email provider.
You'll know it's set up correctly when
Your domain shows the two Cloudflare nameservers we sent you, your website loads at your domain with a padlock in the browser, and email to your domain arrives as normal.
Common mix-ups
- "My domain expired, can Oogle renew it?" Only your registrar can renew it. Sign in there. If you've lost access, the registrar's support can help you prove ownership.
- "I changed my website, why didn't the domain change?" They're separate. A redesign doesn't touch the registration.
- "My email stopped after a DNS change." Mail depends on MX and related records. Tell us right away through a ticket so we can check them. See Email DNS records.
Next steps
- Connect an existing domain to Oogle hosting
- What are nameservers?
Frequently asked questions
Do I buy my domain from Oogle?
No. Oogle doesn't register or sell domains. You keep your domain at your own registrar, in your name, and pay its renewal there.
If I leave Oogle, do I lose my domain?
No. The domain is registered to you at your registrar. Leaving Oogle means pointing it somewhere else, not giving it up.
Is my email part of my domain, my hosting or DNS?
The email address uses your domain name, the mailbox lives with your email provider, and DNS records (MX and others) tell the world where to deliver mail.