What's the difference between a domain and hosting?

People say "my website is down" and mean two completely different problems, and the fix is different depending on which one it actually is.

A domain is your address: xcessi.com, the name people type or click to find you. Hosting is the building at that address: the actual server storing your pages, images, and everything that makes the site work when someone arrives.

You can own the address and have no building there yet. You can have a building with no sign out front pointing to it. Either way, nobody finds you, for two entirely different reasons.

Most website problems trace back to one of these two things quietly expiring, misconfigured, or never set up in the first place. Knowing which one you're actually paying for is the first step to knowing what broke.