Short answer
Web hosting stores and serves your website's files so people can visit it in a browser, while email hosting manages the delivery, storage and access of email messages sent to your domain. They can be provided by the same company or different ones, and are controlled through separate DNS records.
Two different jobs
Web hosting and email hosting both rely on your domain name, but they do different jobs. Web hosting is a service that stores your website's files and databases on a server, so anyone typing your domain into a browser in Berlin or Toronto can see your site. Email hosting stores and manages messages sent to addresses at your domain, such as info@yourbusiness.com.
It helps to think of your domain as an address, web hosting as the shop at that address, and email hosting as the mailbox next to the door. Both use the same address, but they serve different purposes.
How they are connected through DNS
DNS, the system that connects domain names to servers, uses different types of records for each purpose. An A record typically points your domain to the server hosting your website, while MX records tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain. This is why you can, in theory, host your website with one provider and your email with another.
- A records: point your domain to your website's hosting server
- MX records: direct incoming email to your email host
- CNAME and TXT records: support other settings, including some email verification
- Both sets of records can be managed from the same DNS panel even if hosting is split
Why some businesses keep them together
Keeping web hosting and email hosting with the same provider can simplify billing, support and account management, since everything is visible through one client portal. It also reduces the number of settings you need to keep track of when things change, such as renewing a plan or updating a password.
- Single login for website and email settings
- One support channel if something goes wrong
- Fewer providers to manage renewals with
- Consistent billing through one client portal
When it makes sense to separate them
Some businesses choose a specialised email provider because of particular features they want in their inbox, while keeping their website hosting elsewhere. This is a perfectly normal setup, and DNS makes it possible without any conflict between the two services.
Choosing what works for you
If you are not sure whether to combine web hosting and email hosting or keep them separate, our support team can explain the options available for your domain and hosting plan.
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