How a Website Works: Domains, Hosting and DNS Explained

The internet feels like magic until you break it into three simple pieces.

1. The domain name

websq.com.au is just an address — a human-friendly name we use instead of a long number (IP address).

2. DNS — the phone book

When you type a domain, DNS looks up the number behind it, like a phone book. Your browser then knows which server to contact.

You type:  websq.com.au
DNS finds: 104.21.x.x (the server address)
Browser:   "Hello server, send me the homepage!"

3. Hosting — the building

Hosting is a computer permanently switched on that stores your website's files and serves them to anyone who asks.

How they connect

• Domain = your address
• DNS = how people find your address
• Hosting = the building at that address

A common beginner mistake

Buying a domain does not give you a website. You still need hosting (or a builder like the one WebSQ runs on) to store and serve your pages. Put together, the three parts are the whole story of how any site loads.