Think of a host as a machine that can be connected to a device within the network. As mentioned above, this could include your personal computer, your work laptop or even your faithful iPhone. This interaction completes a purpose and with the expectations of 21st-century life, we’re constantly connected.

A network, simply put, is a collection of devices – all of which have their own Internet Protocol (IP) address and specific software that allows your devices to communicate and understand instructions.

Whenever a host is displayed with a hostname, the Domain Name System (DNS) converts it to an IP address in order to have seamless translation between devices and networks.
Understanding what a server is can get complicated, so we’re going to break this down into simple jargon – so everyone can be in the know!

First off, a server can be both software and hardware. Its role is to provide a service to any device that is connected to the network. But, and it’s a big but… not all connected devices are hosts.

Devices using these type of services are called Clients and can also be both hardware or software. A server can serve multiple users at the same time from either the same device or different devices entirely.

Let’s take a closer look at the types of servers on the market.