Domain, subdomain, and hosting: What do you need for your website?

Domain is the address, hosting the space for your website

A domain is a name like beispiel.de. Web hosting provides the environment in which a website’s files and, where applicable, databases are stored. DNS records connect names to the respective services. A domain can therefore use a website with one provider and email with another provider.

A subdomain is an additional name under an existing domain, for example projekt.lxi.be. For an initial draft, a portfolio, or a small website, such an address can be sufficient. Your own domain is of interest if you want to build an independent brand name and use the address long-term independently of the hosting provider.

Start for free or choose your own domain right away?

With LXI, free hosting includes 5 GB of storage and a desired address at lxi.be, as far as the name is available. You can publish an initial version with it. Your own domain is registered separately. Check the specific name and the current offer in the domain search instead of assuming a uniform price for all extensions.

Choose a name that is easy to pronounce and spell. Ask someone to write down the name after hearing it. Unclear spellings, many hyphens, and similar variants increase the risk that visitors enter a different address. Before business use, also check whether the name could affect the rights of others.

Choose the right hosting for your website

Whether portfolio, blog, or club site: Choose hosting that supports your website and can grow with your project. With LXI you start with web space, PHP, database, and automatic HTTPS.

• Web space: Space for website, images, and files.
• Technology: PHP and databases for dynamic websites.
• Management: File manager and installer directly in the browser.
• Email: Mailboxes and webmail for your domain registered with LXI.
• Further development: More storage and AI features with a larger plan.

Discover the free LXI web hosting. For individual applications, we support you with a suitable business solution.

From account to accessible website

Create your account, confirm your email address and choose the desired address or your hosting in the customer centre. There you will find your services and access to the hosting panel. Upload your website files to the designated web directory and then check the public address.

Don't just test the homepage: open subpages directly, send a test request via a contact form and check the display on a smartphone. Make sure HTTPS works and no images or scripts are loaded via insecure addresses. This way your visitors experience a presence that works from the first click to getting in touch.

Move existing domains without forgetting email

Before making changes, document the existing DNS records and mail accounts. Email in particular can run independently of the website. An ill-considered change of nameservers can therefore affect more than just the homepage. Carry over the entries you need and plan when each service will switch.

After the switch, check website and email separately. Keep the previous environment available until the new one is reliably reachable and required data has been transferred. If you are not sure which entries belong to which service, describe the existing configuration in a support request, without sending passwords or secret keys.