What Is a Hostname? (Host Name Definition) GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Internet, Networking, & Security > Home Networking 160 160 people found this article helpful
What Is a Hostname?
Definition of hostname and how to find it in Windows
By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 8, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Home Networking The Wireless Connection Routers & Firewalls Network Hubs ISP Broadband Ethernet Installing & Upgrading Wi-Fi & Wireless A hostname is a label assigned to a device (a host) on a network. It distinguishes one device from another on a specific network or over the internet. The hostname for a computer on a home network may be something like new laptop, Guest-Desktop, or FamilyPC. Hostnames are also used by DNS servers, so you can access a website by a common, easy-to-remember name. This way, you don't have to recall a string of numbers (an IP address) to open a website. A computer's hostname may instead be referred to as a computer name, sitename, or nodename. You may also see hostname spelled as host name. Examples of a Hostname
Each of the following is an example of a Fully Qualified Domain Name with its hostname written off to the side: www.google.com: wwwimages.google.com: imagesproducts.office.com: productswww.microsoft.com: www The hostname (like products) is the text that precedes the domain name (for example, office), which is the text that comes before the top-level domain (.com). How to Find a Hostname in Windows
Executing hostname from the Command Prompt is the easiest way to show the hostname of a computer. Never used Command Prompt before? See our How to Open Command Prompt tutorial for instructions. This method works in a terminal window in other operating systems, too, like macOS and Linux. Using the ipconfig command to execute ipconfig /all is another method. Those results are more detailed and include information in addition to the hostname that you might not be interested in. The net view command, one of the several net commands, is another way to see your hostname and the hostnames of other devices and computers on your network. How to Change a Hostname in Windows
Another easy way to see the hostname of the computer you're using is through System Properties, which also lets you change the hostname. System Properties can be accessed from the Advanced system settings link inside the System applet in Control Panel. Or, press Win+R and then type control sysdm.cpl to go to the correct screen. More About Hostnames
Hostnames can't contain a space because these names can only be alphabetical or alphanumerical. A hyphen is the only allowed symbol. The www portion of a URL indicates a subdomain of a website, similar to products being a subdomain of office.com. To access google.com's images section, you must specify the images hostname in the URL. Likewise, the www hostname is always required unless you're after a specific subdomain. For example, entering www.lifewire.com is technically always required instead of only lifewire.com. This is why some websites are unreachable unless you enter the www portion before the domain name. However, most websites you visit open without specifying the www hostname—either because the web browser does it for you or because the website knows what you're after. DDNS services like No-IP are available that can create a hostname for your public IP address. This is useful if you have a dynamic IP address (it changes), but you need to have access to your home network even when the address updates. The service will tie a hostname to it that's easy for you to remember and that updates automatically to always refer to your current IP address. FAQ How do I find and change my hostname on Linux? Open the Linux terminal, type hostname, and press Enter. To change the hostname, enter sudo hostname NEW_HOSTNAME, replacing "NEW_HOSTNAME" with the name you want. What is the hostname for Gmail? When accessing Gmail in Outlook or a similar program, the incoming hostname is imap.gmail.com or pop.gmail.com (depending on how you have it set up). The outgoing hostname is smtp.gmail.com. What is a hostname in Minecraft? The name of a Minecraft server is called the hostname. If you create a Minecraft server, give it a custom hostname so you don't have to remember the IP address. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire DNS Servers: What Are They and Why Are They Used? How to Use the Netstat Command on Mac What Is an IP Address? 4 Ways to Find Your Roku IP Address (With or Without the Remote) Definition of FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) The Best Free and Public DNS Servers (October 2022) What Is a Top-Level Domain? (TLD Definition) What Is a DNS Cache and How Does It Work? What Is a Public IP Address? (and How to Find Yours) What Does Dynamic DNS Mean? How to Connect to a Server What Is a Web Browser? Home Pages: What Are They? How to Tell if Your Antivirus is Working How to Change DNS Servers in Windows What Is a Static IP Address? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies