Add-on domains and cPanel accounts explained

Part 2 of the series on choosing the right kind of RackNerd hosting.

Shared and reseller hosting plans are described in terms that VPS plans do not use: add-on domains, primary domains, cPanel accounts, databases and more. If you do not know what they mean, two plans can look the same when they suit very different people. This guide explains each term in plain English and shows how to read a plan description.

It does not list current plans or prices. Those change, and the lists on this page are live.

What is in this guide

• The terms at a glance
• Primary, add-on, sub and alias domains
• Counting how many sites a plan hosts
• What a cPanel account is
• One account with many domains, or many accounts
• Disk, bandwidth, databases and email
• How to read a plan description
• Limits
• When to step up
• More in the series

The terms at a glance

Term	What it means
Primary domain	The main domain an account is set up with.
Add-on domain	An extra, separate website in the same account, with its own domain and its own folder.
Subdomain	A part of an existing domain, such as blog.example.com. Often not counted as a separate domain.
Alias or parked domain	A second domain that shows the same site as another one, such as example.net showing example.com.
cPanel account	One separate hosting account with its own login, files, email and databases.
WHM	WebHost Manager: the panel a reseller uses to create and manage cPanel accounts.
Disk	Storage space for files, databases and email.
Bandwidth	How much data your sites can send each month.
Inodes	A count of files and folders. Some hosts limit it, which matters if you keep lots of small files.

Primary, add-on, sub and alias domains

The primary domain is the one you give when you sign up. The account is set up around it.

An add-on domain lets you host a second, completely different website in the same account. If your primary domain is a bakery and you add a domain for your book club, the two sites have separate addresses and separate folders, but share the same login, disk space and limits.

A subdomain sits under a domain you already have, such as shop.example.com. It is handy for a blog, a test site or a shop next to your main site, and it does not need a new domain name.

An alias domain, sometimes called a parked domain, points to an existing site. People who own example.com and example.net often use the second one as an alias, so both addresses show the same site.

Counting how many sites a plan hosts

Plans often state add-on domains separately from the primary domain. A plan that allows two add-on domains usually hosts three websites in total: the primary plus two add-ons.

Read the description carefully. Some say "plus one primary domain" or give the total. Others say "unlimited domains", which means the plan does not cap the number, but you are still limited by disk, resources and fair use.

Subdomains and alias domains usually have their own limits, or none, so they may not count towards the add-on number. Check the plan if you plan to use many of them.

What a cPanel account is

A cPanel account is a separate hosting account. Each one has:

• Its own login to the control panel.
• Its own files, databases and email addresses.
• Its own resource limits, so one busy site is less likely to slow the others.
• Its own backups and restore options, where the plan provides them.

Shared hosting gives you one cPanel account. Reseller hosting gives you several, plus WHM to create and manage them. Reseller plans are usually described by how many cPanel accounts they include.

One account with many domains, or many accounts

If you host several sites, you can put them all in one shared account as add-on domains, or give each one its own cPanel account on a reseller plan.

	Add-on domains in one account	Separate cPanel accounts
Logins	One login for every site	One login per site
If one site is hacked	The others are more at risk, because they share files and a user	Better kept apart
Resource limits	Shared by every site	Separate for each account
Handing a site to someone else	Hard, because they would see every site	Easy: give them their own login
Best for	Your own small sites	Client sites or sites for different people

If you host sites for other people, separate accounts are much safer and tidier. Reseller hosting for freelancers covers this in detail, and shared hosting vs reseller compares the two types.

Disk, bandwidth, databases and email

• Disk. Covers your site files, uploads, databases and email. Email and backups often use more than people expect. A plan's disk is shared by every site in the account.
• Bandwidth. The data your sites send each month. Small sites use little. Large downloads, video and image-heavy pages use more.
• Databases. Apps such as WordPress need one database each. "Unlimited databases" is common on shared plans, but each database still uses disk.
• Email accounts. Addresses on your domain, such as [email protected]. Check any limits on the number of accounts and on how much mail you can send. Bulk mailing is usually not allowed on shared hosting.
• Resource limits. Shared accounts usually have limits on CPU, memory and running processes. These are not always shown in the plan name. If a site slows down at busy times, these limits are often why.

"Unlimited" on shared hosting means the plan does not set a fixed number, not that use has no limit. Fair-use rules and the acceptable use policy still apply.

How to read a plan description

Here is an illustrative description, written for this guide and not copied from a real plan:

• "50 GB disk, 4 TB bandwidth, unlimited databases, host 4 add-on domains plus one primary domain."

Reading it line by line:

1. 50 GB disk. Plenty for several small WordPress sites, less so if you keep large email boxes or many backups in the account.
2. 4 TB bandwidth. More than most small sites use in a month.
3. Unlimited databases. Each WordPress site can have its own.
4. 4 add-on domains plus one primary. Five websites in total, all in one account with one login.

Then ask: are these sites all mine, or do some belong to other people? If some are for clients, a reseller plan with separate accounts is the better fit.

Limits

• Plan names do not tell you everything. CPU and memory limits, inode limits and email sending limits are often only in the terms or the provider's knowledge base. Check before you rely on them.
• Shared and reseller hosting cannot run everything. Background apps, VPNs and game servers need a VPS.
• Backups are still your job. Even when a plan offers backups, keep your own copy of each site and its database somewhere else.
• More domains are not always better. Putting many busy sites in one account makes them share one set of limits.

When to step up

• From shared to reseller when you host sites for other people and want separate logins and limits.
• From shared to a VPS when you need software or settings a control panel cannot give you. See shared hosting or a VPS.
• From reseller to a VPS when your clients' sites need more resources than the reseller limits allow, and you are ready to run a server yourself.

To compare what is available now, start with the cheapest RackNerd VPS guide and check the sales page.

More in the series

This is part 2 of 5. Previous: Shared hosting or a VPS for your first website?. Next: Reseller hosting for freelancers and small agencies. See the whole series.