Web hosting and domains in Intro to Computing - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

What is the primary role of a domain name in web hosting?

Imagine you want to visit a friend's house. Instead of remembering their exact address, you remember their nickname. In web hosting, what does the domain name act like?

A It acts like the nickname that points to the website's address.

B It stores all the files of the website.

C It controls the speed of the internet connection.

D It is the software that runs the website.

💡 Hint

Think about how you find a website without typing numbers.

A domain name is like a nickname or label that helps people find a website without remembering its numeric IP address.

❓ trace

intermediate

Trace the DNS lookup process

Follow the steps below to understand how a domain name is converted to an IP address. Which step happens third?

1. User types domain name in browser.
2. Browser asks local DNS server for IP.
3. Local DNS server checks cache.
4. If not found, local DNS asks root DNS server.
5. Root DNS points to TLD DNS server.

A Browser asks local DNS server for IP.

B User types domain name in browser.

C Root DNS points to TLD DNS server.

D Local DNS server checks cache.

💡 Hint

Think about what the local DNS server does before asking others.

After the browser asks the local DNS server, the server first checks its cache before querying other servers.

❓ Comparison

advanced

Compare shared hosting and dedicated hosting

Which statement correctly compares shared hosting and dedicated hosting?

A Shared hosting provides a private server; dedicated hosting shares server resources.

B Dedicated hosting is cheaper than shared hosting.

C Shared hosting means multiple websites share one server; dedicated hosting means one website uses one server alone.

D Shared hosting offers better performance than dedicated hosting.

💡 Hint

Think about how many websites use the same server in each type.

Shared hosting means many websites share one server, which is cheaper but slower. Dedicated hosting means one website has the whole server, offering better performance.

❓ identification

advanced

Identify the error in this domain name

Which of the following domain names is invalid?

A -mydomain.org

B 123website.net

C example-site.com

D my.site.co

💡 Hint

Domain names cannot start with certain characters.

Domain names cannot start with a hyphen (-). Option A starts with a hyphen, making it invalid.

🚀 Application

expert

Calculate the number of unique domain names possible

Assuming a domain name can only use lowercase letters (a-z) and digits (0-9), and must be exactly 3 characters long, how many unique domain names are possible?

A 17576

B 46656

C 238328

D 1000

💡 Hint

Count how many characters are allowed and raise to the power of length.

There are 26 letters + 10 digits = 36 characters. For 3 characters, total = 36³ = 46656.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of web hosting?

easy

A. To store website files online so people can access them

B. To create domain names for websites

C. To design the layout of a website

D. To provide internet connection to users

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what web hosting means

   Web hosting is a service that stores your website files on special computers called servers.

2. Step 2: Identify the purpose of web hosting

   Its main job is to keep your website files online so anyone can visit your site anytime.

3. Final Answer:

   To store website files online so people can access them -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Web hosting = store website files online [OK]

Hint: Web hosting = storing files online for access [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing domain names with hosting
• Thinking hosting creates website design
• Believing hosting provides internet connection

2. Which of the following is the correct format for a domain name?

easy

A. example_com

B. www.example.com

C. http://example

D. example@com

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the structure of domain names

   Domain names usually have parts separated by dots, like 'example.com', often with 'www' at the start.

2. Step 2: Check each option format

   www.example.com uses dots and a common structure 'www.example.com', which is correct. Others use underscores, missing parts, or invalid characters.

3. Final Answer:

   www.example.com -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Domain name format = www.example.com [OK]

Hint: Domain names use dots, not underscores or special symbols [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using underscores instead of dots
• Including protocol like http:// in domain
• Using invalid characters like @

3. Consider this simple flowchart for accessing a website:



What is the role of DNS lookup in this process?

medium

A. It finds the server's IP address from the domain name

B. It stores the website files online

C. It designs the website layout

D. It connects the user to the internet

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand DNS lookup in website access

   DNS lookup translates the easy domain name into a numeric IP address that computers use to find servers.

2. Step 2: Match DNS role with options

   It finds the server's IP address from the domain name correctly states DNS finds the server's IP address. Other options describe unrelated tasks.

3. Final Answer:

   It finds the server's IP address from the domain name -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   DNS lookup = domain to IP address [OK]

Hint: DNS = domain name to IP address translation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing DNS with hosting
• Thinking DNS stores files
• Believing DNS connects to internet

4. A user tries to visit www.mywebsite but gets an error. What is the most likely problem?

medium

A. The user's internet connection is too slow

B. The web hosting server is down

C. The domain name is incomplete and missing a top-level domain like .com

D. The website files are too large

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the domain name format

   The domain www.mywebsite lacks a top-level domain (TLD) such as .com, .org, or .net, which is required for proper DNS resolution.

2. Step 2: Identify the cause of the error

   Without a complete domain name including TLD, the DNS cannot find the server, causing an error.

3. Final Answer:

   The domain name is incomplete and missing a top-level domain like .com -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Complete domain = name + TLD [OK]

Hint: Domain must include TLD like .com to work [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming slow internet for domain errors
• Assuming hosting server is always down
• Thinking file size causes domain errors

5. You want to create a website for your bakery. Which combination correctly matches the roles of domain and hosting?

hard

A. Domain designs the website, hosting registers the website name

B. Domain stores your website files, hosting is the website address

C. Domain connects users to internet, hosting creates website content

D. Domain is the website address (like bakery.com), hosting stores your website files online

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand domain and hosting roles

   The domain is the easy-to-remember website address people type, like bakery.com. Hosting is where your website files are stored online.

2. Step 2: Match correct roles to options

   Domain is the website address (like bakery.com), hosting stores your website files online correctly pairs domain as address and hosting as file storage. Other options confuse these roles.

3. Final Answer:

   Domain is the website address (like bakery.com), hosting stores your website files online -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Domain = address, Hosting = file storage [OK]

Hint: Domain = address, Hosting = file storage [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping domain and hosting roles
• Thinking domain stores files
• Believing hosting creates website design