Before you start building your SaaS, it helps to understand how the web actually works. Don’t worry, we’ll keep it simple.
1. Domains
- A domain is like the address of your house on the internet.
- Examples:
google.com
ormycoolapp.com
. - You buy a domain from a domain registrar like Namecheap or GoDaddy.
- When someone types your domain, the internet knows where to find your app.
2. DNS (Domain Name System)
- Think of DNS as the phonebook of the internet.
- Computers don’t understand
mycoolapp.com
— they understand IP addresses (e.g.,142.250.190.14
). - DNS converts your domain into the IP address of your server.
- Without DNS, you’d have to type numbers instead of names to visit websites.
3. Hosting
- Hosting is like the land your house sits on.
- You need a computer (server) to store your app and make it accessible online.
- Hosting providers like Vercel, Netlify, Hetzner, or AWS rent this land so you don’t have to manage servers yourself.
- Deploying your app = putting your code on these servers so the world can see it.
4. HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
- HTTP is how browsers and servers talk.
- When you type a domain:
- Browser asks DNS: “Where is this website?”
- DNS replies with the server’s IP address.
- Browser sends an HTTP request to the server.
- Server responds with HTML, CSS, JS.
- Browser renders the page.
- HTTPS is just a secure version with encryption.
💡 Startup Update
By the way, if you’re building a web app quickly, I’ve been working on Sassypack — a MERN Starter Kit. It comes with authentication, Paystack payments, landing pages, and a ready-to-go folder structure. Perfect for shipping fast without worrying about setup.
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