Difference Between Parked, Addon and Subdomains
Depending on your hosting plan, you can add subdomains, addon domains, and parked domains to your HostGator control panel. But before you hit that Create button, let's discuss what they are and what's the difference between them.
Subdomains
A subdomain is a second website with unique website files, but there's no new domain name. It is a "sub-set" or a part of a registered domain, which allows you to send visitors to a different website or point it to another directory or specific IP address without registering it as a new domain name. Subdomains are usually created to organize the different sections of a website. If you are planning to create a "forums" section on your website, you can create a subdomain. For example, forums.hgexample.com does not need to be registered. However, when you visit the site, you get to see the "forums" section of the main domain, "hgexample.com"
For more information about subdomains, please check the following articles.
Addon Domains
An addon domain is a second website with its unique content. This type of domain requires you to register the new domain name before you can host it. If you are looking into hosting another website, then you need to register a new domain name and add it to your control panel as an addon domain.
Please visit the following articles to know more about addon domains and how to create them.
- How Do I Create and Remove an Addon Domain?
- Please Read before Creating an Addon Domain
- What is an Addon Domain
Parked Domains
A parked domain is not really a unique website. It is an additional domain that is pointed to the same website as your primary domain name. Parked domains are commonly used in these instances:
- There's more than one domain in your control panel that should lead to your primary domain.
- There are common misspellings in the domain name you registered.
- You registered your domain under many various Top-Level Domains (TLDs).
Here are support articles to guide you in parking your domain name.