What is Addon Domain?
An Addon Domain is a fully functional domain that can be created from within your hosting control panel (such as cPanel or Plesk). It allows you to host multiple websites on a single hosting account. Each addon domain can have its own website, email accounts, and settings, independent of the primary domain.
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Key Features of Addon Domains:
- Separate Websites: Each addon domain can have its own website, separate from the primary domain and other addon domains.
- Unique Email Accounts: You can create unique email accounts for each addon domain, e.g.,
user@addondomain.com. - Subdirectory Storage: Addon domains are stored in subdirectories of your main hosting account’s home directory.
- Single Control Panel: All domains, including the primary and addon domains, are managed from a single control panel.
- Shared Resources: All domains share the same server resources, such as bandwidth and disk space.
How Addon Domains Work:
When you create an addon domain, it is assigned a directory within your main account’s home directory. For example, if your primary domain is example.com and you add an addon domain called addondomain.com, a directory might be created like /home/user/addondomain.com.
In DNS settings, you need to point the DNS of the addon domain to the same nameservers as your primary domain. Once this is done and the DNS changes propagate, visitors to addondomain.com will be directed to the appropriate subdirectory on your server, displaying the content of the addon domain’s website.
Benefits of Addon Domains:
- Cost-Effective: Host multiple websites without needing multiple hosting accounts.
- Ease of Management: Manage all domains from a single control panel.
- Flexibility: Add and remove domains as needed without significant reconfiguration.
Limitations:
- Shared Resources: All domains share the same hosting account resources, which could impact performance if one domain consumes excessive resources.
- Dependency: If your main account or primary domain faces issues, it can affect all addon domains.
Addon domains are a useful feature for individuals and small businesses looking to manage multiple websites cost-effectively and efficiently from a single hosting account.