This section is here mainly because I've gotten so many questions about domain names and domain hosting with the free ProHosting accounts. The main issue seems to be that a lot of people don't understanding what domain hosting is and what domain hosting isn't. This is probably the fault of domain registration companies and their ads, which I think are a little vague, to say the least.
Not directly, no. ProHosting does not offer domain hosting with the free accounts, only with the paid service.
However, you can mimic domain hosting for your free account by using a URL redirection service. URL redirection is a service that some places offer in which they will host your domain name (some free, some not). This works in one of two ways. When someone types in your domain name:
I can't recommend any service over another, as I've never used one. You can find them by searching for "domain hosting", "domain redirection", or "URL redirection". The only information that a URL redirection service needs is the URL to your ProHosting account. If they claim they need DNS information from ProHosting, then they're probably not doing what you think they are.
Often, the company can register your domain name for you. If you have a domain name, you will need to get the DNS information from the URL redirection service. Check with the particular service for details.
Well, they do with the paid service. But I don't know why not with the free accounts, other then that the URL for your account is basically the only thing that lets someone know what company is providing the web hosting service.
Domain parking is basically what it sounds like. Domain parking lets you register your domain name and park that domain name at ProHosting. Why? The main reason is so you can get that domain name registered now while it's still available, but before you're ready to actually use it.
While ProHosting does offer free domain parking, this service has nothing to do with the free or the paid web hosting accounts.
When you go to Network Solutions or some other domain registration service, one of the pieces of info you need is the DNS server addresses of the place that will be hosting your domain. Without this, you can't register the domain. Domain parking services will give you this info to use when you register the domain name. You can always change this later. Some domain registration services offer domain parking as an added service.
But domain parking is not domain hosting. If someone types in your parked domain, then at most, they will get a page that says something like "This domain is not currently active. Park your domain here for free with So-and-so's domain parking service."
This is not the most technical explanation, just the basics of how it works.
Let me start by saying that buying a domain name, like anything else, is something shouldn't just jump into without knowing anything about it. You wouldn't want to spend good money on a car if you didn't know how to drive. With domain names, it's not as simple as registering the name and then typing it into the browser to see a web site. There are a number of things that go on "behind the scenes".
Recently, there have been ads all over the place that make it look all nice and easy to just get the domain of your choice and point it to your web site. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as they make it sound. There are a lot of companies getting into the domain name registration business. Most companies are more then happy to let you register a name and park it. More money for them. Unfair? Probably, but I don't make the rules.
I assume you know that a URL is the thing you type into the web browser to go to a web site. A domain name is part of the URL. In the case of ProHosting, "prohosting.com" is the domain name. The rest of the URL before the domain name, e.g. "www", "free", "hammer", etc., are all machines that sit within that domain. Assuming that each machine has a web server running on it, when you type that URL into the browser, you get the web page from the web server on that computer (in that domain), that the URL refers to.
What you may not know is what really happens when you type a URL into the web browser, which is this:
This is a very general set of the steps that are made when you try to view a web page. So the question that is probably on your mind now is how does the DNS know what machine the URL/domain name points to?
When you register a domain name (it's more like renting), one of the things you have to supply are the names and IP addresses of the primary and secondary (back-up) DNS machines that the company hosting your domain use. Then, the company that will host the domain has to update their DNS machines to tell it what actual machine IP address the domain name refers to.
Typically, "domain.com" is going to be an alias to "www.domain.com", and they can make other names on the same domain point to different IP addresses (machines). But all this mapping of machine + domain names to IP addresses has to be set up by the company hosting the domain, since only they know what machine/IP address the name is supposed to point to.
After the DNS machines of the company that is hosting the domain are updated, those changes are then sent out across the Internet to other DNS machines. Usually this takes less then 24 hours. After this, the DNS machine at your ISP will now have a copy of this information so it can look up where to go when you type your URL into your web browser, and the world can browse your site.
But, unless the company that will host the domain enters the correct information into their DNS machines, the domain name doesn't actually exist on the Internet.
Network Solutions is the main domain name registration company. Domain names from them cost $35 per year to rent (you register it for two years up front). That's not much, when you think about it. "microsoft.com" still only costs Microsoft $35 per year. What a bargin.
However, what a lot of people and companies have done is register lots of domains and park them, unused by anyone. Then when you want to register a domain name and see it's already registered, you might go there to find out what they used it for and see a nice little web page that says something like "You can buy this domain name for only $400". What? They gobble up the names and resell them to people who want them.
This is not illegal, although there is a law in the US and other countries that says if you register a name that is a brand name owned by a company (like if Pepsi.com wasn't taken), they can claim the name and not have to pay you anything for it. And Network Solutions will give it to them, without having to refund any money to you.
Personally, I don't believe that this domain reselling should be allowed. If you're not going to use the domain, then you shouldn't have it. It's one thing to park a domain that you intend to use, or to sell one that you've been using because someone really wants it, but it's something else entirely to hoard them and hold them for ransom like that. But it's money for the registration companies, so what do they care. And of course, it's a gamble, because who knows if anyone will want a particular name. I've seen some pretty stupid names for sale... not a smart investment.
The point is: Be aware that domains only cost the $35 per year from a legitimate company. If you want to buy a domain from a reseller, consider finding a different name. These resellers are counting on someone wanting the names they bought. Don't support them unless the domain name you want is really important to you.