How to Create an Addon Domain in cPanel

An addon domain allows you to host a completely separate website on the same cPanel hosting account. Each addon domain has its own document root, email accounts, and content — visitors will never know it shares a server with your primary domain.

When to Use an Addon Domain

• You own multiple domains and want to host them all on one hosting plan
• You're building a separate website for a different brand, project, or client
• You want to save costs by using a single hosting account for multiple sites

Addon Domain vs Subdomain: An addon domain is a completely different domain name (e.g., anotherdomain.com), while a subdomain is an extension of your existing domain (e.g., blog.yourdomain.com).

Prerequisites

• An active Cynet hosting plan that supports addon domains (most shared plans do)
• The additional domain already registered (at Cynet or any registrar)
• The domain's nameservers pointed to Cynet: ns1.cynethost.com through ns4.cynethost.com
• Access to cPanel

Steps

Step 1: Point Your Domain to Cynet

Before adding the domain to cPanel, update its nameservers at the registrar where it's registered:

• ns1.cynethost.com
• ns2.cynethost.com
• ns3.cynethost.com
• ns4.cynethost.com

If the domain is registered with Cynet, nameservers are already set correctly.

Step 2: Log in to cPanel

Navigate to yourdomain.com/cpanel or log in via your Cynet client area.

Step 3: Open the Domains Tool

In the cPanel dashboard, click Domains under the Domains section.

Step 4: Create a New Domain

Click the Create A New Domain button.

Step 5: Enter the Domain Name

Type the full domain name you want to add:

anotherdomain.com

Step 6: Uncheck "Share document root"

By default, cPanel may check Share document root with [primary domain]. Uncheck this so the addon domain gets its own separate folder.

Step 7: Set the Document Root

Enter a unique document root for the new domain:

/publichtml/anotherdomain.com

This keeps the addon domain's files separate from your primary website.

Step 8: Submit

Click Submit. cPanel will:

1. Create the document root directory
2. Configure the web server to serve the new domain
3. Set up DNS zone records

After Adding the Domain

Upload Your Website

Navigate to the document root (e.g., /publichtml/anotherdomain.com) and upload your website files:

• File Manager: cPanel → File Manager → navigate to the folder
• FTP: Connect via FTP and go to the document root
• Softaculous: Install WordPress or another CMS — choose the addon domain from the dropdown

Create Email Accounts

You can create email accounts for the addon domain just like your primary domain:

1. Go to cPanel → Email Accounts
2. Click Create
3. Select the addon domain from the domain dropdown
4. Enter the username and password

Install SSL Certificate

Cynet hosting includes free AutoSSL. Your addon domain will automatically receive an SSL certificate within a few hours. To check:

1. Go to cPanel → SSL/TLS Status
2. Look for your addon domain in the list
3. If it shows "AutoSSL Domain Validated", SSL is active

Managing Addon Domains

View All Domains

Go to cPanel → Domains to see your primary domain, addon domains, and subdomains in one list.

Remove an Addon Domain

1. Go to cPanel → Domains
2. Find the addon domain in the list
3. Click Manage → Remove Domain

Note: Removing an addon domain does not delete its files. Clean up the document root folder manually via File Manager if needed.

Resource Sharing

All addon domains share the hosting account's resources:

• Disk space: All sites share the total disk quota
• Bandwidth: Combined bandwidth across all domains
• Email accounts: Counted together across all domains
• CPU / Memory: Shared server resources

Troubleshooting

Domain not loading after adding

• DNS propagation: If you just changed nameservers, wait 2–24 hours
• Check nameservers: Verify the domain points to ns1.cynethost.com through ns4.cynethost.com
• Clear browser cache: Try an incognito/private window

Addon domain shows the primary website

The document root may be set to /public_html (same as the primary domain). Go to cPanel → Domains → click Manage next to the addon domain → verify the document root is set to a unique folder.

"You have reached the maximum number of addon domains"

Your hosting plan has a limit on the number of addon domains. Check your plan details in the Cynet client area, or contact support to upgrade.

SSL not working on the addon domain

AutoSSL can take up to 24 hours to issue. If it hasn't been issued after 24 hours:

1. Go to cPanel → SSL/TLS Status
2. Select the addon domain
3. Click Run AutoSSL