Domains and document roots: put each website in the right place

A domain has several separate relationships: registration establishes ownership, DNS directs traffic, and a document root selects the files served by a hosting account. Adding a domain in cPanel does not register it or automatically change external DNS.

Add a website deliberately

1. Confirm ownership and the package’s domain allowance.
2. Open Domains and use the creation option available on the account.
3. Decide whether the new name should share an existing website or have its own document root. Use a separate root for an independent project.
4. Record the resulting path before uploading files.
5. Configure authoritative DNS as required and check HTTPS for the new name.

Before changing a root

Back up files and configuration, identify the application entry directory and check paths used by cron or deployment scripts. Framework applications often expose only a public subdirectory; serving the private project root can disclose sensitive files.

Two names sharing a document root can also share PHP configuration and website content. Keep staging separate from production when isolation is important. Removing a domain from hosting is not the same as cancelling its registration, and neither should be used as an unplanned cleanup step.