In order for people to find your website on the Internet, you need to reserve a name that uniquely belongs to you. This name is called your domain name. Domain names end with a suffix such as .com, .info, and .org which help categorize your website appropriately. To ensure that only you own this name, there is an established network of domain registrars that keep track of this information for you. The domain registrar you select is called your domain hosting provider. Domain hosting providers make their money by charging a fee to insure that only you have the right to use this name across the entire Internet. They also facilitate things like transferring of ownership and translating your domain name into what’s called an IP address. An IP address is kind of like a phone number and looks something like: 12.234.56.78. IP addresses are a complicated but necessary component of the Internet which thankfully humans don’t need to know much about. You can switch your domain hosting provider to another registrar, but if you let your domain expire; you won’t own it any longer; your website will cease to function; and someone else can take your domain name from you! Sometimes, your domain registrar and your web hosting provider are the same company, but they don’t have to be.