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  5. What is a Temporary URL & How to Use One?

What is a Temporary URL & How to Use One?

 

The temporary URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator) is used when your domain name is not working, or you are not yet ready to point your domain to your server. The following examples demonstrate the correct temporary URL format according to the control panel being used.

Permalinks will not work with a temporary URL. This applies to primary domains, addons, and subdomains.

Please click the links below to jump to a section.

Temporary URL for Primary Domain

cPanel

Format
Sharedhttp://gator####.temp.domains/~username/
Resellerhttp://rellerserver.temp.domains/~username/

 

Note: Be sure to replace the underlined items above with the actual values for your server name and cPanel username, which can be located in your Welcome email or Customer Portal.
Where to Find Your Server Name and Username?
  • Welcome Email

HostGator - Welcome Email

The sample image above shows the Welcome email of a shared hosting plan with "gator1111" as the server name and "snappy" as the cPanel username.

  • Customer Portal

Customer Portal

The sample image above shows the Customer Portal's Hosting section of a shared hosting plan with "gator1234" as the server name and "example" as the cPanel username.

An alternative method to view your website is to change the host file on your computer to display the site while during propagation. Please see the following article for more information.

Plesk

http://yourdomain.com.the-IP-address.hgws#.hgwin.temp.domains/
Note: Be sure to replace the underlined items above with the actual values (found in the Welcome email or control panel) and to use dashes between the IP octets instead of dots.

The IP address can either be the IP for the A record or the control panel, based on which one is actively pointing to the site (as A records can direct a domain name to point to a different server).

The best way to find the temporary URL from your Plesk control panel is to use the Preview feature.

To locate Preview in Plesk:

  1. Log in to Plesk.
  2. Click on the Websites and Domains tab.

    Plesk - Web & Domains

  3. Under your domain name, click the Preview icon.

    Preview Feature - Plesk

  4. A new tab will open, showing a preview of your website.

Temporary URL for Addons and Subdomains

cPanel

http://server####.temp.domains/~username/addon
Note: Be sure to replace the underlined items above with the actual values for your server name and cPanel username, which can be located in your Welcome email or Customer Portal. To know where to find your server name and cPanel username, please see the sample images above.

To use the temporary URL of an addon or subdomain, you have to make sure that the addon or subdomain's directory/document root is inside the public_html.

Addon/Subdomain directory inside public_html

The sample image above shows "hgexample" as the directory of the domain name hgexample.com.

An alternative method to using the temporary URL would be to change the host file on your computer to display the site while during propagation. Please see the following article for more information:

Plesk

To view your website, it is best to use the Preview feature of your Plesk control panel. Please see the instructions above.

Subdomain

http://sub.domain.com.the-ip-address.hgws#.hgwin.temp.domains/

Addon Domain

http://addon.com.the-ip-address.hgws#.hgwin.temp.domains/
Note: Be sure to replace the underlined items above with the actual values (found in the Welcome email or control panel) and to use dashes between the IP octets instead of dots.

Control Panel URLs

PlatformURL format
cPanelhttp://server-name:2083
Webmailhttp://server-name:2095
Pleskhttps://ip-address:8443
Virtuozzo (VZ)https://ip-address:4643
KVM VPShttps://ip-address:2087

Please replace the server or ip-address above with your server's information, which can be found in your Welcome email or Customer Portal.

Concerned About Search Engines Indexing the Wrong URLs?

If you are concerned or have issues with search engines indexing the wrong URL, please read: