A subdomain is an extension of your main domain that functions as a separate website or section. For example, blog.yourdomain.com or shop.yourdomain.com. Subdomains are useful for organising different areas of your online presence without registering additional domains.
Common Uses for Subdomains
- blog.yourdomain.com — A separate blog or news section
- shop.yourdomain.com — An e-commerce storefront
- support.yourdomain.com — A help desk or knowledge base
- staging.yourdomain.com — A test/staging environment for development
- mail.yourdomain.com — Webmail access
Prerequisites
- An active Cynet hosting account
- A domain already added to your hosting
- Access to cPanel
Steps
Step 1: Log in to cPanel
Navigate to yourdomain.com/cpanel or log in via your Cynet client area.
Step 2: Open the Domains Tool
In the cPanel dashboard, scroll to the Domains section and click Domains.
On older cPanel versions, look for Subdomains as a separate tool.
Step 3: Create a New Domain
Click the Create A New Domain button.
Step 4: Enter the Subdomain
In the Domain field, type the full subdomain you want to create:
blog.yourdomain.com
Step 5: Set the Document Root
cPanel will auto-fill the document root directory. By default, it uses:
/home/username/publichtml/blog.yourdomain.com
You can customise this path if needed. For example:
/publichtml/blog— Shorter, cleaner path/publichtml/blog.yourdomain.com— Default, keeps things separated
Tip: Keep the auto-filled path unless you have a specific reason to change it. This avoids confusion when managing files later.
Step 6: Submit
Click Submit to create the subdomain. cPanel will:
- Create the document root directory automatically
- Add the necessary DNS records
- Make the subdomain accessible (may take a few minutes)
Uploading Content to Your Subdomain
After creating the subdomain, upload your website files:
Via File Manager
- Open cPanel → File Manager
- Navigate to the document root you set (e.g.,
/publichtml/blog) - Upload your files or create an
index.html/index.php
Via FTP
- Connect using your FTP client (FileZilla, WinSCP, etc.)
- Navigate to the subdomain's document root
- Upload your files
Install a CMS
You can install WordPress or other applications on a subdomain:
- Open cPanel → Softaculous Apps Installer
- Click WordPress → Install
- In the Choose Domain dropdown, select your subdomain
- Complete the installation
Managing Subdomains
View All Subdomains
Go to cPanel → Domains to see all your domains and subdomains listed together.
Delete a Subdomain
- Go to cPanel → Domains
- Find the subdomain in the list
- Click Manage → Remove Domain
Warning: Deleting a subdomain does not delete the files in its document root. You'll need to manually remove the folder via File Manager if you want to free up disk space.
Redirect a Subdomain
To redirect a subdomain to another URL:
- Go to cPanel → Redirects
- Select your subdomain from the dropdown
- Enter the destination URL
- Choose redirect type (301 Permanent or 302 Temporary)
- Click Add
DNS and Propagation
When you create a subdomain in cPanel, the DNS A record is added automatically. If your domain uses Cynet nameservers (ns1.cynethost.com through ns4.cynethost.com), the subdomain should resolve within minutes.
If your domain uses external nameservers, you'll need to manually add an A record for the subdomain at your DNS provider:
| Host | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|
| blog | A | Your server's IP address |
Troubleshooting
Subdomain shows "Index of /" or a blank page
The document root is empty. Upload an index.html or install a CMS to the subdomain folder.
Subdomain shows the main website
The document root may be set to /public_html instead of a subdomain-specific folder. Check the domain settings in cPanel → Domains and correct the document root.
Subdomain not resolving
- If using Cynet nameservers, wait 5–10 minutes for DNS to propagate
- If using external nameservers, add the A record manually at your DNS provider
- Clear your browser cache or try in an incognito window