Hosting

Also called web hosting.

Hosting is providing the computers that keep a website or application available to the people who use it.

Example

You finish a page on your computer. Visitors still see the old page until the new build is deployed to the host.

Why it matters

The files on a laptop are not the public site. Hosting is the service that answers when someone opens the address. A deploy is how a new build gets onto that host.

Common confusion

Hosting is not the domain name. The domain is the readable address. Hosting is where the site runs.

Sources

Cloudflare fundamentals

Updated September 30, 2026.