How Your WordPress Website gets Live in Internet
You have a Word file (sample.docs) in Hard Drive. Can you make it live in the internet as part of WWW? The simple answer is: YES. But how?
If you know the answer to this question HOW, you know all the technology and politics (!) of how your WordPress website gets live in the internet.
However, we won’t go that way. We won’t enter the complication of methodology. If you’re curious, we’ve another article regarding this. Just follow this-What is Website? How does a Website function?
Our aim, in this tutorial, is to show the process very simply as if you located the way to your home from workplace in Google Map.
Many webmasters-beginners or advanced-are not quite sure of this process. This is because, the tutorials they follow for this around internet only tell them go here and there, do this and that- just like prescription. When anything goes wrong, they get frustrated.
So follow this guide to the point and map the process in brain: how WordPress website gets live and get yourself equipped with full confidence and strength in order to handle website including WordPress.
Prewords: How WordPress website gets live in Internet
To keep things simple, let’s run our experiment with not WordPress but a simple MS Word file named sample.docs. When we’ll get knowledgeable, then we can take attempt to upload WordPress files in place of sample.docs. At the last section of this tutorial, a magic (!) for you.
Here is the sample.docs file created with MS Word:
This is Heading
some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file.
This Word file (sample.docs) in your HDD is localized. It needs to be globalized. What do I mean by these terms Local and Global?
This sample.docs file is readable by your machine (computer). But there are varied size, kinds, manufacturers, language, OS and much more factors of the device (machine). Every device and system is not in the state of understanding the same language the same way. So a common language/languages is/are essential. These are:
- HTML: To contain the basic structure of web language.
- CSS: To style all the contents and templates of website.
- PHP: To program a website.
Now suppose you opened your sample.docs file in a text editor like Notepad++ and converted it to html and resaved it as sample.html whatever content lies in it.
Here is the sample.html file written with html and CSS:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<style>
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div style="border:2px solid black;width:50%;
margin:auto; padding: 30px;">
<h3 style="text-align:center;color:red;
font-size:30px;">This is Heading </h3>
<p style="font-size: 25px;text-align:justify;">
<strong>some body text for sample.docs file.
some body text for sample.docs file.
some body text for sample.docs file.
some body text for sample.docs file.
some body text for sample.docs file.
some body text for sample.docs file. </strong></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Now this file is globalized. This sample.html file is visible from any corner of the world. If any user can reach your file through Browser (certainly by URL), Browser will translate this html document and display it in user’s screen as the Word document as we showed above.
Where to store my html file for global visibility
Your computer is not the right place to store your website files in. Here comes the Server (check out, What Web Server is). Don’t think server to be a dark, weird thing beyond your reach and touch. Theoretically, your computer and a server has no difference.
Even, you can make your computer a server (see, How to make Server). But simply it must have a great limitation. So, to store your files, it is wise to rent some space (say, one or two GB) from a commercial Server which is called ‘Hosting’.
After purchasing a Hosting Account, you’ll enter Hosting Account C-panel by Username and Password provided by your Hosting provider.
Simply, entering C-panel means entering the Hard Drive of your Host Computer. There you’ll have a Directory/Folder. Whatever files you store in that Folder systematically will be visible worldwide.
Now question, how can a Browser/user can reach my files among millions, billions of website-files floating around in WWW. See next step:
We know and should know every device (PC, Laptop, Tablet …) has its own unique IP Address [see, IP Address in detail here]. So has your Hosting Server Computer. Suppose your Server IP is 152.200.126.30. And suppose, you put the sample.html file in a folder named ‘test‘ in your Server.
Now if you type or anybody around the world types 152.200.126.30/test/sample.html/ in the Browser’s address bar, Browser must display your page as shown in docs file. See again:
This is Heading
some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file. some body text for sample.docs file.
Probably you’re saying we never saw such strange address or we never inputted such numeric address to reach any website or page. Where is site name here.
Right, you’re. Here comes the term ‘Domain Name‘ [More about Domain Name].
Relation between IP Address and Domain Name
To intercommunicate with millions of website, IP Address is not a suitable medium. Numeric IP Address is not user friendly, memorable, easily understandable or picture-giving. It is hence tough, dull and unpleasant. So in contrast to IP, a universally accepted naming system has been introduced. This is called DNS (Domain Name System/Domain Name Server).
Domain Name System is the unique system of interconnected numerous Domain Name Servers which host millions of Domain Names. The main function of DNS is to act as the representative of IP Address. When you click a Domain Name, the System (DNS) will send you to the corresponding IP Address of the Hosting Server.
So, in practice, people do not use IP Address as their web address, rather, purchase a Domain Name that is related to his website, glorious, user-friendly, beautiful and honorable. After purchasing, Domain Name is linked up with the server IP from Domain Name C-panel.
Actually, Domain Name and IP locate the same Server.
If you have a website whose function is related among some of your friends, and you don’t want to pay for Domain, you can just use IP Address of your Hosting Server. There is option in Hosting account to run a site by using Server IP.
Yes, it is the reasonable step to summarize how WordPress website gets live. Probably everything is clear to the smart WordPressers. Just-
- Purchase a Hosting account
- Purchase a Domain name as you choose relating to your site’s name.
- Enter Domain Name C-panel and link Hosting Server by changing nameserver which is given by Hosting provider.
- Now Download WordPress structure files from wordpress.org
- Enter your Hosting C-panel and upload the WordPress files in definite location (usually in public_html Directory)
- Follow the full WordPress installation process.
- If all is OK; type your Domain Name in any Browser and press Enter.
- You’ll see your WordPress site live.
Really magic! Click the link below and enjoy! For this tutorial purpose, I stored the sample.html file in a folder named test in my hosting server. I placed the test folder just beyond all of the structure files and folders of my site inside public_html Directory. The URL that follows the link text is:
Now click the link below and sample.html file will open in a new tab with black structural environment.
Just enjoy. Then cross the tab and get back again.
Hope I could keep the promise I made at beginning and you enjoyably learnt how WordPress site gets live in the WWW and no confusion is left. Also hope you’re now able to make others understand how any website gets visible in the unlimited contents ocean of internet. Don’t forget to leave a comment.
