Donaldson R F
DNS, Security & Integrations
Create Multiple Subdomains
Set up several subdomains at once, each correctly pointed to its own destination.
The Problem
You need multiple subdomains set up in one go (for different services, clients, or environments) and doing them one at a time risks inconsistency, naming mistakes, or missed SSL coverage across the set.
About this problem
This is the same core task as a single subdomain setup, scaled up — common for agencies hosting multiple client subdomains, SaaS platforms giving each customer their own subdomain, or a business consolidating several separate small sites under one domain as subdomains. The risk at this scale isn't the DNS record itself, which is simple, but keeping track of which subdomain points where, avoiding naming collisions, and making sure SSL coverage (often a wildcard certificate) is planned for the whole set rather than patched together one at a time.
It's worth setting this up properly from the start, since untangling a messy batch of subdomains added ad-hoc over time is far more work later.
What's Included
- Confirming the full list of subdomains needed and what each one points to
- Creating each DNS record consistently and correctly
- Recommending a wildcard SSL certificate approach if that fits your situation better than individual certificates
- Verifying every subdomain resolves and loads correctly
What's NOT Included
- Building or hosting whatever each subdomain actually serves
- Ongoing subdomain provisioning as an automated/self-service system (a different, larger project)
- DNS provider plan upgrades if you exceed a record limit on your current plan
How It Works
- Get the full list of subdomains needed, with exactly what each should point to.
- Plan the record structure (A vs CNAME per subdomain) and whether a wildcard record/certificate makes more sense than individual ones.
- Create each DNS record systematically, checking for naming collisions against anything already in place.
- Set up or confirm SSL coverage across the full set of subdomains.
- Verify every single subdomain resolves and serves the correct destination before calling it done.
In practice: you buy the service, send over whatever access or details the job needs, I investigate and do the work, and you confirm it's resolved before we call it done.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it faster to set up subdomains in bulk rather than one at a time?
- Yes, since planning them together avoids rework, naming inconsistencies, and having to redo SSL setup multiple times instead of once.
- Can one SSL certificate cover all my subdomains?
- A wildcard SSL certificate can cover all first-level subdomains (like *.yourdomain.com) under one certificate, which is usually simpler than issuing individual ones.
- Is there a limit to how many subdomains I can create?
- DNS itself doesn't meaningfully limit this, though your DNS provider's plan might cap the number of total records, which is checked upfront if you need a large number.
- Can I add more subdomains later after this initial batch?
- Yes, once the structure and SSL approach is set up properly, adding more later is quick and straightforward.
- Do all my subdomains need to point to the same server?
- No, each subdomain can point to a completely different destination independently of the others.
- Will setting up multiple subdomains slow down my main domain?
- No, subdomains are independent DNS records and don't affect the performance of your root domain or other subdomains.