A subdomain is an extension of your main domain that functions as a separate website address. For example, blog.yourdomain.com or shop.yourdomain.com. Subdomains are useful for organizing different sections of your website.
Common Uses for Subdomains
- blog.yourdomain.com — A separate blog
- shop.yourdomain.com — An online store
- support.yourdomain.com — A help desk or knowledge base
- staging.yourdomain.com — A testing environment
- mail.yourdomain.com — Webmail access
How to Create a Subdomain
1. Log in to your control panel.
2. Navigate to the "Subdomains" section.
3. Enter the subdomain name (e.g., "blog" for blog.yourdomain.com).
4. Select the parent domain from the dropdown.
5. Specify the document root (the directory where the subdomain's files will be stored). By default, this is usually set to a folder matching the subdomain name inside public_html.
6. Click "Create" or "Add Subdomain."
Uploading Files to Your Subdomain
Once created, upload your website files to the subdomain's document root directory. For example, if your subdomain is blog.yourdomain.com, upload files to public_html/blog/ (or whichever directory you specified).
DNS for Subdomains
If your domain uses our nameservers, the DNS record for the subdomain is created automatically. If your DNS is managed elsewhere, you need to add an A record:
- Host: blog (or your subdomain name)
- Type: A
- Value: Your server's IP address
- TTL: 3600
SSL for Subdomains
Subdomains need their own SSL certificates. You can:
- Generate a free Let's Encrypt certificate for each subdomain individually.
- Use a wildcard SSL certificate (*.yourdomain.com) that covers all subdomains.
Deleting a Subdomain
To remove a subdomain:
1. Go to the "Subdomains" section in your control panel.
2. Find the subdomain and click "Remove" or "Delete."
3. Note that this only removes the subdomain configuration. Files in the document root are not automatically deleted.
Tip: Subdomains are free and do not count as separate domains. You can create as many as your hosting plan allows.