Understanding the nature and functions of domains is crucial to effective web management. This brief guide provides an overview of what domains are and how they operate. We'll discuss primary and subdomains, and introduce additional domains and domain aliases.
In this document:
A Brief Introduction to Domains
At its core, a domain is the unique name or URL of a website. Since computers use numeric IP addresses to communicate over the internet, domains are designed to act as memorable 'hostnames' that point to specific IP addresses. Consequently, this makes navigation simpler for users as they can easily remember 'rapyd.cloud' rather than a sequence of numbers like '192.168.0.XX'.
Domains can be a mix of letters, numbers, and, in some cases, hyphens (-), with extensions such as .com, .net, .co, etc. (e.g., rapyd.cloud). Before you can use a domain, you must first register it through a Domain Registrar. To maintain uniqueness, no two websites can have identical domain names.
Primary Domain and Subdomains
The primary domain, often referred to as the root domain, is the original domain set to point to the specified IP address, such as 'rapyd.cloud'. A subdomain is a division or subset of this primary domain, commonly used to segregate different sections of your website or establish testing environments. For instance, if you have a store, you might use a subdomain like 'store.yourcompany.com', or a subdirectory such as 'yourcompany.com/store'.
It's worth noting that a subdomain can also host additional websites or sections of the root domain, and is sometimes referred to as a child or leaf domain.
Additional Domains and Vanity Domains
Additional domains, or Vanity Domains, are alternate website names that you'd like your application to respond to, for example, 'www.alternateexample.com'. These can also be subdomains.
Rapyd offers complete flexibility, allowing you to manage multiple domains in the way that suits your needs best.
Vanity Domains on the Rapyd Dashboard
The primary domain is crucial for accessing the live website hosted on the Rapyd server. When a domain is added, it sets the base URL/home URL in your application's database. On the Rapyd Dashboard, the vanity domain serves as a secondary domain that redirects to your "primary" custom domain. When you set up a vanity domain, any user who enters the vanity domain into their web browser will be automatically redirected to your primary custom domain.
For more information on how to manage Domains on the Rapyd Dashboard, read: Managing Custom and Vanity Domains on the Rapyd Dashboard.