What Are Subdomains, Addon Domains, and Parked Domains?
Learn the differences between subdomains, addon domains, and parked domains. This guide explains each one with clear examples to help you choose the option that best suits your needs.
Overview
Alongside your primary domain (for example, example.com), you may also encounter the following domain types:
• Subdomains
• Addon domains
• Parked domains (aliases)
Let’s look at each of them in detail.
Subdomains
A subdomain is an extension of your main domain that creates a separate section or website without needing a new domain registration. It adds a prefix to your domain name, separated by a dot.
For example:
docs.example.com — where docs is a subdomain of example.com.
Subdomains are great for organizing different areas of your website, such as:
• shop.example.com for an online store
• blog.example.com for a company blog
• webmail.example.com for accessing emails
Subdomains are usually created in DNS using A or CNAME records and can host unique content separate from your main site.
Add on Domains
An addon domain is a completely separate, registered domain hosted within the same account as your primary domain.
Each addon domain can have its own website, email accounts, and configurations — it doesn’t need to be related to your main domain.
For example:
If your primary domain is ruachost.com, you could add myportfolio.net or business.org as addon domains to host additional independent websites under the same account.
Addon domains are ideal for managing multiple websites conveniently from one hosting plan.
Parked Domains (Aliases)
A parked domain, also called an alias, is a domain name that displays the same content as your primary domain.
Parked domains are commonly used to protect your brand and prevent others from registering similar domains — a practice known as cybersquatting.
For example:
If someone visits ruachost.net, they’ll see the same website as ruachost.com, even though ruachost.net appears in the browser’s address bar.
Parked domains are useful when you want multiple domain names to point to one website.
