A lot of people tend to think that registering a domain name is good enough to get a website active. What they fail to understand is that a domain is as good as your name, a name by which others may recognize you. In order to get a website active and live on the internet, you need to host a website. If you are seeking to build a website without taking web hosting services, registering domain names will serve no purpose. Having a web hosting account is very important in order to get a website hosted. A web hosting company makes it possible for your website to be accessed by everyone on the web.
Web hosting is basically the space that you buy on a web server to store your website files. When you buy website hosting you basically rent server space on a server where your web files will be placed. So whenever somebody will look up for your website by entering your domain, he will get directed to your website. You can design a website on your own computer but unless you upload it on a hosting server it can never be accessed by anyone.
Web hosts usually charge for the service they render. You as a user also have the ability to have your own full-fledged server right from your own home, but the main difference between investing in your own server and picking a hosting company is that designing your own server is likely to cost you dearly. To set up a server, you will require a powerful computer with a good processor and lots of RAM and also an operating system like Linux or Windows. To add to that you will also be required to have technical skills to manage and run the server.
When you hire a web hosting company, it will manage all back end concerns, including the maintenance and repair of the servers. So basically, web hosts are designed to make your life easier by saving you the hassle.
While there are multiple hosting services available, it is always advised not to buy something that is expensive. With a little bit of research one can get good web hosting services at an affordable price. You should not get tricked into buying more than what you actually require. There is always a scope to upgrade your hosting plan if your website starts generating huge amount of traffic.