Chapter 2

What Is a Domain Name?

Hostnames, TLDs, registrars, domain vs website.

Learning objectives

  • Break a domain name into its parts (hostname, domain, TLD)
  • Explain the difference between registering a domain and hosting a website
  • Know who operates .ca and why it matters for Canadian businesses

A name humans can remember

Computers find each other using IP addresses — numbers like 203.0.113.42. People are bad at remembering numbers. Domain names exist so we can say workshopco.ca instead.

A domain name is not the same thing as a website. You can own a domain and point it nowhere. You can host a website on an IP and never buy a domain. In practice they work together: the domain is the sign on the door; the website is what is inside the building.

Anatomy of a domain name

Read this hostname from right to left (least specific → most specific):

www. workshopco. ca
subdomain (optional) second-level domain (your name) top-level domain (TLD)
Canadian TLD

.ca is operated by CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority). To register .ca you generally need a Canadian presence. That is one reason Canadian businesses choose .ca over .com — it signals locality and meets some compliance expectations.

Worked example — Workshop Co.

HostnamePurpose
workshopco.caApex / root — often redirects to www
www.workshopco.caMain marketing website
staging.workshopco.caPre-production testing
mail.workshopco.caSometimes used for webmail login (not the same as MX)

Registration vs hosting vs DNS

Three separate jobs — often three separate companies:

  1. Registrar — You pay them to hold the rights to workshopco.ca for a period (usually 1–10 years). Examples: CIRA-certified registrars, many web hosts also register domains.
  2. DNS host — Holds the records that say “www points to this IP” and “mail goes here.” Often your registrar, sometimes Cloudflare, sometimes your web host.
  3. Web host — The server that actually serves your website files when someone reaches your IP.

Try it yourself

For a business called North Trail Gear selling outdoor equipment in Calgary:

  1. Propose a .ca domain name (check if you think it is available — use any registrar’s search box).
  2. List three hostnames they might need besides the main website.
  3. Who would you expect to bill them for (a) the domain renewal, (b) the server, (c) the DNS records?
Sample answers
  • Domain: northtrailgear.ca, northtrail.ca, etc.
  • Hostnames: www, shop (e-commerce), support, staging
  • (a) Registrar annual fee, (b) hosting provider monthly/yearly, (c) often included with registrar or host — but can be a dedicated DNS provider

Check your understanding

  1. Is blog.workshopco.ca a different domain than workshopco.ca?
  2. Can you have email on @workshopco.ca without a website?
Answers
  1. No — it is a subdomain of the same registered domain.
  2. Yes — email uses MX records; a website uses A/CNAME records. They are independent.