This article will help you clear the confusion between a domain and URL. In this article, we will explain their difference and show some examples in order to clarify these concepts.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is an Internet resource name and it locates a website on the Internet. In general, a domain name is an address via which internet users can access your website. Domain names are assigned according to the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS) protocol. Any publicly-accessible name in the DNS is a domain name.
Examples of domain names include: yola.com, google.com, yahoo.com
What is the URL?
URL stands for the Uniform Resource Locator. It is a unique identifier that is used for locating files on the internet. It’s a web address that we use to identify a specific resource on the network.
There are several parts of a URL:
Protocol: usually HTTP or HTTPS
Subdomain: usually www
Domain name: yola
Top-level domain: .com
Path: /resources
The format of the URL is always as follows: protocol + subdomain + domain + path + filename.
Examples of URLs: https://yola.com/pricing/pricelist.htm https://helpcenter.yola.com
Domain vs URL: Understand the differences
There are differences between URL and domain names. The URL is a string of information providing the complete address of the web page on the internet. The domain name is a part of the URL which is a user-friendly form of an IP address.
We use the URL for identifying a particular web page. For example:
http://www.yourwebsite.com/index.html is a complete URL.
yourwebsite.com is the domain name.
A domain name is what people type into their browser to find your site. This is why domain names are sometimes called web addresses.
So yola.com is the domain or web address of the Yola website.
Registering a domain, however, doesn't automatically create a website. It only means that you have registered the custom name for your website. To use your newly purchased custom domain with your Yola build website, you will need to have a hosting package.
Yola helps you register your domain and get your website hosted, in addition to the Sitebuilder+ tool to help you build your website. This means you can register your domain name, build a website for it, and get it online all in one place. Go ahead and explore our affordable pricing.
What is a subdomain?
Simply, a subdomain, also known as a child domain, is a domain name with a prefix. It is part of the main domain name. For example, www.xyz.com is a URL, and www is the subdomain.
Here’s the basic difference between a domain and a subdomain:
xyz.com is the main domain name
store.xyz.com is a subdomain
private.xyz.com is a subdomain
When you publish your website to a free subdomain name on Yola, your URL becomes:
https://yourwebsite.yolasite.com
And your domain name is yourwebsite.yolasite.com
Differences between HTTP and HTTPS in the URL
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a protocol that is a set of rules and standards. HTTP goes as plain text which makes it not secure and susceptible to interception.
On the other hand, HTTPS is a secure protocol. It works in conjunction with TLS/SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate. The certificate ensures the authentication of the flow of information between the browser and the server. Your website has an SSL certificate assigned to it by default when you publish it in the Sitebuilder.