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 across the Internet. The hostname for a computer on a home network might be something like New Laptop, Guest Desktop, or Family PC.

Hostnames are also used by DNS servers so that you can access a website with a common, easy-to-remember name. This way, you don't have to remember a string of numbers (an IP address) to access a website.

Each of the following is an example of a fully qualified domain name with the hostname written next to it:

The hostname (such as learn) is the text that precedes the domain name (e.g. microsoft). This is the text that precedes the top-level domain (.com).