Introduction to Domain Names and DNS
Learn the basics of domain names, DNS, and how they work together to make websites accessible on the internet. If you’re new to web hosting or managing domains, this is a great place to start.
Domain Names
Even if you’ve never hosted a website before, you’ve already used domain names. Every time you visit a site such as ruachost.com, you’re using a domain name.
Domain names are organized in a hierarchy that reads from right to left.
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The right-most part is called the Top-Level Domain (TLD). The most common example is .com, but there are many others such as .net, .org, .edu, and .mil. Country-specific extensions like .ng, .us, or .fr are also TLDs.
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The next part is the second-level domain, which you define when registering your domain. For example, in ruachost.com, the word ruachost is the second-level domain. This is the part you “own,” along with any subdomains created under it.
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A subdomain is a third-level domain that helps organize sections or languages of a website. For instance, you might have en.example.com for English content and fr.example.com for French content.
Tip:
All ruachost.com hosting accounts include the www subdomain by default. This means users can reach your site with either www.example.com or example.com — both addresses will lead to the same website, helping ensure you don’t lose visitors.
DNS and Name Servers
The Domain Name System (DNS) is what makes the internet easy to use. Without DNS, you would have to type long strings of numbers (IP addresses) like 75.98.175.166 instead of simple names like ruachost.com.
DNS works by translating human-friendly names into the numeric IP addresses that computers use to communicate.
When you register a domain name through a registrar, the domain doesn’t automatically point to your website. Most registrars will “park” the domain temporarily, showing a generic placeholder page until you assign it to a hosting account.
If you purchased your domain directly from ruachost.com, you don’t need to configure anything — our system automatically sets up your name server records.
However, if your domain is registered with another company (like GoDaddy or Namecheap), you’ll need to update your name server (DNS) settings to point to ruachost.com’s servers. Once that’s done, anyone typing your domain name will reach your website correctly.
What You Need to Run a Website
To launch your website, you need more than just a domain name. You also need a hosting plan that provides storage, email accounts, and the tools required to run your site. A hosting package gives you access to a server space where your website files live and can be accessed online.
Next Steps
Now that you understand the basics of domain names and DNS, here’s how to connect your domain with ruachost.com:
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If you purchased your domain from ruachost.com, no further setup is needed — everything is configured automatically.
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If you own a domain from another registrar, you can transfer it to ruachost.com so that billing, management, and DNS are all handled in one place.
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Alternatively, you can keep your domain with your current registrar and simply update your DNS or name server settings to point to ruachost.com’s servers.
Each option achieves the same goal: making your domain point to your hosting account so your website can go live.
