How to Manage Subdomains

How to Manage Subdomains

A subdomain is a prefix added to your domain name (e.g., blog.yourdomain.com) that acts as a separate section of your website. Subdomains are useful for organizing content, running separate applications, or creating staging environments.

Common Uses for Subdomains

• blog.yourdomain.com — A separate blog
• shop.yourdomain.com — An e-commerce store
• staging.yourdomain.com — A testing/staging environment
• support.yourdomain.com — A help desk or knowledge base
• mail.yourdomain.com — Webmail access
• api.yourdomain.com — An API endpoint

Creating a Subdomain in cPanel

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Navigate to Domains > Subdomains (on older cPanel) or Domains > Domains (on newer cPanel).
3. Click Create A New Domain or Create Subdomain.
4. Enter the subdomain name (e.g., blog).
5. Select the parent domain from the dropdown.
6. The Document Root will auto-populate (e.g., public_html/blog). You can change this if needed.
7. Click Create or Submit.

Managing Subdomain Files

Each subdomain has its own document root — a directory where its files are stored:

• Default location: public_html/subdomainname/
• Upload your subdomain’s website files to this directory via FTP or File Manager.
• The subdomain operates independently from the main domain’s files.

Installing Applications on Subdomains

You can install WordPress or other applications on a subdomain:

1. Open Softaculous in cPanel.
2. Choose the application to install.
3. In the installation settings, select the subdomain from the domain dropdown.
4. Leave the directory field blank to install at the subdomain root.
5. Complete the installation.

Subdomain DNS Configuration

When you create a subdomain in cPanel, a DNS record is automatically created. If you manage DNS elsewhere, you’ll need to manually add:

• A Record: blog → Your server’s IP address
• Or CNAME Record: blog → yourdomain.com

Editing and Deleting Subdomains

In cPanel:

1. Go to Domains > Subdomains or Domains > Domains.
2. Find the subdomain in the list.
3. Click Manage to modify the document root or Remove to delete.

Important: Deleting a subdomain removes the DNS entry and configuration but does not delete the files in the subdomain’s directory. Clean up files manually if needed.

SSL for Subdomains

Each subdomain may need its own SSL certificate, or you can use a wildcard SSL certificate (*.yourdomain.com) to cover all subdomains.

To install Let’s Encrypt SSL for a subdomain:

1. Go to Security > SSL/TLS Status in cPanel.
2. Select the subdomain.
3. Click Run AutoSSL to generate a free certificate.

Troubleshooting

• Subdomain not loading: Allow time for DNS propagation (up to 24 hours). Verify the DNS record exists.
• Wrong content showing: Check the document root path in cPanel. Ensure files are in the correct directory.
• SSL errors: Install an SSL certificate specifically for the subdomain.

For subdomain assistance, contact 10Corp support.