Addon Domains

An addon domain is an extra domain that runs on the same hosting account as your primary site. Each addon can have its own website, folder, and email while still sharing the account's resources. You meet it most often on cPanel shared hosting.

How an addon is mapped

When a visitor opens an addon domain, its DNS points at the hosting server, the web server matches the hostname as a virtual host, and the request is routed to that domain's document root, usually a folder under home such as public_html/newbrand.com. That is the difference from a parked domain: an addon has its own vhost and folder, not a mirror. In cPanel, adding an addon typically also creates the document root folder, an internal technical subdomain you rarely touch, and mailbox options for that name. Adding an addon in the panel does not register the domain; the name must already be registered with its nameservers pointed at the host for it to actually serve visitors.

Shared resources

One account, one meter. Disk, bandwidth, inode counts, CPU, and the entry-process limit are shared by every site on the account. An inode is a per-file counter, so heavy caching and mailboxes burn it quickly, and mailbox quotas are shared too. The PHP version can be set per domain through MultiPHP, still within the account's limits. Many heavy sites on one account squeeze each other, and an addon gives you no performance isolation. Backups, CMS updates, and SSL also stay per site.

Quick setup in cPanel

1. Open the Domains menu and add the new name.
2. Accept or set the document root.
3. Save, then point the domain's nameservers at the host.
4. Issue a certificate for that hostname through AutoSSL or SSL/TLS.
5. Upload files or install a CMS into the document root.

A domain whose DNS has not finished will not appear even though the addon is saved in the panel. If results differ by network, check domain propagation.

Limits that surprise

An addon inherits the whole account, not just a slice of storage. The PHP version, database pool, and file permissions follow the main account, so one site can read another's files because they run under the same system user. A single HTTPS certificate does not automatically cover the addon; each hostname needs its own issuance. If you need strict isolation or heavy traffic, separate accounts or a VPS beat stacking addons.

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