How to create an addon domain in cPanel

Knowledgebase Article

How to create an addon domain in cPanel

What is an Addon Domain?

An addon domain allows you to host a completely separate website on your hosting account using its own domain name. Unlike subdomains, which are extensions of your main site (e.g., blog.example.com), addon domains use entirely different domains (e.g., example2.com).

The key difference between an addon domain and an alias (sometimes called a parked domain) is that addon domains have their own document root, meaning they display unique content. Aliases, on the other hand, simply show the same content as your main domain.

Why Use Addon Domains?

Host multiple websites under one hosting account
Save on hosting costs by managing multiple domains in one place
Maintain separate content for each domain

Important Considerations

Most of our hosting plans support addon domains, allowing you to host multiple websites on different domains. However, there are some important things to keep in mind:

Entry-level plans: These only support a single domain. If you’re on one of these plans and need to host additional websites, you can:
- Upgrade your plan to support multiple websites.
- Purchase a separate plan for each additional website.
Addon domains are for personal use: Addon domains are designed for hosting websites you own. Hosting websites for third parties (e.g., clients, friends, or unrelated businesses), whether for profit or for free, is not permitted. If you need to host websites for others:
- Use a reseller hosting plan, where each website is isolated in its own cPanel user.
- Consider a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or separate hosting plans for greater isolation and control.
Resource and security considerations: While addon domains are great for smaller websites or personal use, hosting too many sites within a single cPanel account can lead to:
- Resource limitations: All sites share the same CPU, RAM, and other hosting resources, which may cause performance issues.
- Security risks: If one site is compromised, others in the same account may also be affected due to the shared environment.
For more details, check out our article on understanding the risks of hosting multiple addon domains.

Steps to Create an Addon Domain in cPanel

Note: Domain names must be registered with a valid registrar and configured to point to our DNS servers i.e. ns1.kualo.net, ns2.kualo.net, ns3.kualo.net, ns4.kualo.net before they can be used as an addon domain.

Log in to cPanel and Open "Domains":
Click the Domains icon in the cPanel dashboard.
Enter Your Addon Domain:
In the Domain field, type the full name of your new domain. For example:
- To add example2.com, type example2.com.
Specify the Document Root:
This is the folder where your addon domain’s files will be stored. By default, cPanel will suggest a folder named after your addon domain (e.g., example2.com). You can leave this as-is or change it to a custom folder.
In order to support an addon domain, cPanel will also create a subdomain on your primary domain. This is part of how addon domains are supported, but don't worry, it won't be something that is found by search engines and the subdomain field can be left as the default setting.
Click "Create":
Once the settings are complete, click Create.

What Happens Next?

After you create your addon domain, here’s what happens:

If the folder doesn’t already exist: cPanel will create a new folder where you can upload files for your addon domain.
If the folder already exists: The addon domain will use this folder and display any content that’s already in it.
Making the addon domain work online:
- If your domain is pointed to our nameservers: The addon domain will usually start working within a few minutes. (If you’re not sure about this, it probably is, so you can wait and check.)
- If your domain is not pointed to our nameservers: You’ll need to update the DNS settings with your domain provider to ensure it works. If you’re unsure, contact us and we’ll help you set it up.

Success!

Your addon domain is ready! Now you can add content to it. Here are some common options:

Uploading content: If you already have files for your addon domain, upload them to the specified folder (e.g., via cPanel's File Manager or an FTP client).
Installing WordPress or another app: Use Softaculous in your cPanel to quickly set up apps.
Cloning an existing app: Duplicate a site you already have using tools in cPanel like Softaculous's clone tool.
Using our site builder: Build your addon domain’s content from scratch with ProSite or take a backup of an existing ProSite website and import it.

Whatever your goal, your addon domain is ready for action, and we’ve got guides to help you every step of the way!