What is an addon domain?

An addon domain is a fully independent domain hosted on your existing hosting account. Addon domains allow you to host multiple websites under one hosting plan, each with:

  • Separate website directory (public_html folder)
  • Independent email accounts
  • Own DNS zone and records
  • Individual FTP access
  • Separate statistics and logs

For example, if your primary domain is business.co.za, you can add portfolio.co.za as an addon domain and host both websites on the same hosting account.

Addon domain vs subdomain vs domain pointer

Type Purpose Example
Addon Domain Separate website with own content business.co.za and portfolio.co.za
Subdomain Section of main website blog.business.co.za
Domain Pointer Alias showing same content business.com → business.co.za

See our guides on subdomains and domain pointers for more details.

Before adding an addon domain

Check your hosting plan limits

Verify your hosting plan allows addon domains:

  • Log in to the client area and view your service details
  • Most 0724 Hosting plans include unlimited addon domains
  • If your plan has a limit and you have reached it, upgrade your plan or contact support

Register or transfer the domain

Before adding a domain to DirectAdmin, you must own the domain. You can:

  • Register a new domain through 0724 Hosting
  • Transfer an existing domain to 0724 Hosting
  • Keep the domain registered elsewhere (you will need to update nameservers manually)

Step 1: Add the addon domain in DirectAdmin

  1. Log in to DirectAdmin
  2. Go to Domain Setup or Account Manager
  3. Click Domain Setup or Additional Domains
  4. Click Add Domain or Create Domain

Configure domain settings

Fill in the domain creation form:

  • Domain: Enter the domain name (e.g., newdomain.co.za) without www
  • Bandwidth: Set bandwidth limit or choose unlimited
  • Disk Space: Set disk quota or choose unlimited
  • SSL: Enable SSL certificate (recommended - use Let's Encrypt free SSL)
  • PHP: Select PHP version (use the latest stable version unless specific version required)

Click Add or Create to complete. DirectAdmin creates the domain immediately.

Step 2: Configure DNS nameservers

For the addon domain to work, it must point to 0724 Hosting nameservers.

If registered with 0724 Hosting

If you registered the domain through 0724 Hosting, nameservers are automatically configured. No action needed.

If registered elsewhere

  1. Log in to your domain registrar (where you bought the domain)
  2. Find the domain's nameserver or DNS settings
  3. Update the nameservers to:
    • ns1.practiwebs.co.za
    • ns2.practiwebs.co.za
  4. Save the changes

DNS propagation takes 1–24 hours (usually 2–4 hours). During this time, the domain may not load correctly.

Step 3: Upload website files

Each addon domain gets its own folder for website files.

Finding your addon domain folder

Addon domain files are stored in:

/domains/newdomain.co.za/public_html/

Upload your website files to this public_html folder.

Upload methods

Managing addon domains

Viewing all domains

  1. In DirectAdmin, go to Domain Setup
  2. You will see a list of all domains on your account:
    • Primary domain (your original domain)
    • Addon domains
    • Subdomains
    • Domain pointers

Modifying domain settings

To change bandwidth, disk space, PHP version, or SSL settings:

  1. Go to Domain Setup
  2. Find the addon domain in the list
  3. Click Modify or the pencil icon
  4. Update the settings
  5. Click Save

Suspending an addon domain

To temporarily disable an addon domain without deleting it:

  1. Go to Domain Setup
  2. Find the addon domain
  3. Click Suspend

Suspended domains show a "suspended" page. Website files and databases remain intact. Unsuspend to restore the domain.

Deleting an addon domain

To permanently remove an addon domain:

  1. Go to Domain Setup
  2. Find the addon domain you want to delete
  3. Click Delete or the trash icon
  4. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deleting removes all files, emails, databases, and settings for that domain. Back up first if you may need the data.

Creating email accounts for addon domains

Each addon domain can have its own email accounts.

  1. Go to Email Manager → Email Accounts
  2. Click Create Account
  3. In the domain dropdown, select your addon domain
  4. Enter the username (e.g., info for info@newdomain.co.za)
  5. Set password and quota
  6. Click Create

See our email account creation guide for more details.

SSL certificates for addon domains

0724 Hosting provides free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for all addon domains.

Enabling SSL for an addon domain

  1. Go to SSL Certificates in DirectAdmin
  2. Select your addon domain from the dropdown
  3. Click Let's Encrypt or Request SSL
  4. Follow the prompts to generate the certificate
  5. The SSL certificate activates automatically

See our SSL certificate guide for troubleshooting.

DNS management for addon domains

Addon domains get their own DNS zone with default records (A, MX, TXT).

Viewing DNS records

  1. Go to DNS Management in DirectAdmin
  2. Select the addon domain from the dropdown
  3. You will see all DNS records for the domain

Common DNS records for addon domains

  • A record: Points domain to your hosting server IP (auto-configured)
  • MX records: Routes email to your hosting server (auto-configured)
  • TXT records: For email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
  • CNAME records: For subdomains or third-party services

See our DNS management guide for advanced configuration.

Database management for addon domains

Addon domains share the hosting account's database resources. Create databases for each addon domain's website.

  1. Go to MySQL Management in DirectAdmin
  2. Create a database for your addon domain (see database guide)
  3. Databases are not tied to specific domains - any domain can use any database

Disk space and bandwidth for addon domains

Quotas

When creating an addon domain, you can set individual disk space and bandwidth limits. However, all addon domains share your hosting account's total resources.

Example: If your hosting plan has 50GB disk space, you could allocate:

  • Primary domain: 20GB
  • Addon domain 1: 15GB
  • Addon domain 2: 15GB

If individual quotas exceed the account total, the account limit takes priority.

Monitoring usage

To view disk space and bandwidth usage per domain:

  1. Go to Domain Setup in DirectAdmin
  2. View the usage column for each domain
  3. Or go to Statistics for detailed breakdowns

Addon domain limits by hosting plan

Most 0724 Hosting plans include unlimited addon domains:

  • Web Hosting plans: Unlimited addon domains
  • Reseller plans: Allocate addon domain limits to your customers
  • Entry-level plans: May have limits (check your plan in the client area)

If you need to host more domains than your plan allows, upgrade your plan through the client area or contact support.

Troubleshooting addon domains

Cannot add addon domain

If DirectAdmin prevents you from adding a domain:

  • Check you have not reached your plan's addon domain limit
  • Verify the domain name is valid (letters, numbers, hyphens only)
  • Ensure the domain is not already added to this or another account
  • Contact support if the error persists

Addon domain not loading

If the addon domain does not load or shows errors:

  • Verify DNS nameservers point to ns1/ns2.practiwebs.co.za
  • Check DNS propagation status (use whatsmydns.net)
  • Ensure you uploaded files to the correct public_html folder
  • Verify the domain is not suspended in DirectAdmin
  • Clear your browser cache and try again

Addon domain shows wrong website

If the addon domain displays content from another domain:

  • Verify files are uploaded to /domains/addondomain.co.za/public_html/
  • Check you did not accidentally set up a domain pointer instead
  • Wait for DNS propagation to complete (up to 24 hours)

Addon domain email not working

If email for the addon domain fails:

  • Verify MX records exist for the addon domain (check DNS Management)
  • Ensure nameservers point to 0724 Hosting
  • Create email accounts specifically for the addon domain
  • Test email configuration using mail-tester.com

Best practices for addon domains

  • Organise clearly: Use logical file structure and naming for each domain
  • Set realistic quotas: Allocate disk space based on expected website sizes
  • Enable SSL for all: Use free Let's Encrypt certificates on every addon domain
  • Monitor resources: Check disk space and bandwidth usage regularly
  • Separate databases: Create distinct databases for each website for security and organisation
  • Back up regularly: Use JetBackup or manual backups for all addon domains
  • Keep domains organised: Document which domains are for what purpose
  • Update DNS promptly: Change nameservers immediately after adding addon domains

When to use addon domains vs separate hosting

Use addon domains when:

  • Hosting multiple small to medium websites
  • All websites belong to you or your organisation
  • Websites have similar traffic levels and resource needs
  • You want centralized management and billing
  • Cost savings are important

Use separate hosting accounts when:

  • Hosting high-traffic websites with heavy resource demands
  • Managing websites for different clients (use reseller hosting instead)
  • Websites require different PHP versions or server configurations
  • Maximum isolation and security are needed
  • One website failure should not affect others

Getting help with addon domains

If you need assistance adding addon domains, troubleshooting DNS issues, or managing multiple websites, contact 0724 Hosting support. We can help with domain configuration, DNS setup, and website migrations for addon domains.