Web hosting supplies the infrastructure that receives requests and delivers site resources. A website platform supplies the tools and application layer used to create, manage, and publish what visitors experience. Many products bundle both, but the underlying functions remain distinct: naming, encrypted connection setup, request routing, code execution, storage, content management, deployment, caching, and operations.
This explainer follows a request from the domain name to the browser response, then follows a site change from an editor or developer into production. Understanding both paths clarifies where performance, security, availability, and publishing failures originate—and which responsibility belongs to the platform provider, the hosting environment, an extension, or the site operator.