What's The Difference Between A Domain Name Registrar And A Web Host?

If you have little or no experience working with domain names, the whole process can seem a bit overwhelming. This is due to the fact that many people are unclear on the difference between a domain name registrar and a web host. Here's a straightforward explanation:

Domain Name Registrar
A domain name registrar is a company that is authorized by a central Internet authority to add new domain name records into the Internet's central "domain name database". In order to be recognized as a valid domain name, a domain must be registered with an accredited registrar (or a company reselling domains through an accredited registrar).

Web Host
A web host is a provider that manages a server or fleet of servers that "host" all of your site's files (often they will also provide email and other related services). When you get a hosting account, the host (Venture Domain Hosting) will configure its nameservers to respond to DNS queries on behalf of your domain name. Once Venture Domain Hosting has configured our systems properly, you can start accessing your website and see our hosting default page. How do you know if our nameservers are ready to respond to requests for your name? If you have received your hosting account welcome email, our nameservers are already configured to handle DNS for your domain name--that's part of the account setup process on our end.