Build hosting-domain
We now need a proper domain management layer.
Until now, we treated:
example.comas if one domain always equals one website.
A real hosting platform needs more flexibility:
example.com
www.example.com
blog.example.com
shop.example.commay all have different relationships to the same site.
1. Domain Architecture
The relationship should become:
SITE
│
┌─────────────┼─────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
Primary Alias Redirect
Domain Domain Domain
│ │ │
└─────────────┼─────────────┘
▼
Nginx
│
┌────┴────┐
▼ ▼
HTTP HTTPS
│
▼
SSL2. Why Separate Domain From Site?
Consider:
example.com
www.example.comBoth may point to the same WordPress installation:
/storage/websites/example.com/publicTherefore:
SITE
└── example.com
├── example.com
└── www.example.comThe second name is an alias, not another website.
3. Domain Types
Use three basic types.
Primary
example.comThe canonical domain.
Alias
www.example.comAnother hostname serving the same site.
Redirect
old-example.comwhich redirects to:
example.com4. Commands
The first version:
sudo hosting-domain-add example.comsudo hosting-domain-add www.example.com --alias example.comsudo hosting-domain-add old-example.com --redirect example.comList:
sudo hosting-domain-list example.comRemove:
sudo hosting-domain-remove www.example.com5. Primary Domain
When creating a site:
sudo hosting-create example.comthe initial domain becomes:
TYPE=PRIMARYExample metadata:
SITE_ID=1027
PRIMARY_DOMAIN=example.com6. Domain Registry
Create:
/var/lib/cresignsys/domains/For example:
/var/lib/cresignsys/domains/example.comBut rather than making the domain directory itself the only source of truth, maintain a structured registry.
For the first version:
/var/lib/cresignsys/sites/example.com/site.confcan contain the domain relationships.
7. Better Site Metadata
Example:
SITE_ID=1027
PRIMARY_DOMAIN=example.com
DOMAIN_LIST="example.com www.example.com"But space-separated lists become fragile.
A better long-term approach is a database.
8. Domain Database Model
Eventually:
sites
-----
id
primary_domain
status
domains
-------
id
site_id
domain
type
target
statusExample:
sites
------------------------------------------------
1027 | example.com | ACTIVE
domains
------------------------------------------------
1 | 1027 | example.com | PRIMARY | -
2 | 1027 | www.example.com | ALIAS | -
3 | 1027 | old-example.com | REDIRECT | example.comThis is much easier to manage.
9. Domain Validation
Before adding:
example.comvalidate the hostname.
Reject:
https://example.combecause that is a URL, not a hostname.
Reject:
example.com/pathReject:
example.com:443The domain field should contain a valid hostname.
10. Normalize the Domain
Convert:
Example.COMto:
example.comDNS names are case-insensitive.
Normalization prevents duplicate entries such as:
example.com
Example.com
EXAMPLE.COM11. Validate Labels
A domain contains labels:
www
example
comEach label has restrictions.
For basic hosting:
letters
numbers
hyphenshould be handled.
Don’t accept arbitrary characters into Nginx configuration.
12. Security Principle
Never directly insert unvalidated user input into:
Nginx configuration
shell commands
filesystem paths
SQLFor example, don’t construct:
rm -rf "/storage/websites/$DOMAIN"without strict domain validation.
13. Check Existing Domain
Before adding:
sudo hosting-domain-add example.comcheck whether it already belongs to:
same site
different site
system configurationPossible result:
Domain already belongs to example.comor:
ERROR:
example.com belongs to another site.Never silently reassign it.
14. Primary Domain Rules
Each site should have exactly one:
PRIMARYFor example:
example.com → PRIMARY
www.example.com → ALIASYou shouldn’t have:
example.com → PRIMARY
shop.com → PRIMARYinside the same site.
If the user wants to change the primary domain, that should be a separate controlled operation.
15. Alias
Add:
sudo hosting-domain-add www.example.com --alias example.comThe result:
example.com
│
└── www.example.comBoth can serve the same application.
16. Alias and Canonical Domain
You must decide whether an alias:
Option A
Serves the same content:
www.example.com
↓
same WordPressor:
Option B
Redirects:
www.example.com
↓
301
↓
example.comFor WordPress, canonical-domain redirects are often preferable because they avoid duplicate hostname access.
17. Recommended Model
Separate:
ALIASfrom:
REDIRECTSo:
www.example.com → ALIASmeans:
same sitewhile:
old-example.com → REDIRECT → example.commeans:
different hostname
↓
301 redirect18. Nginx Server Name
For an alias, Nginx can use:
server_name example.com www.example.com;This means one server block handles both names.
19. Redirect Domain
For a redirect:
server {
server_name old-example.com;
return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}The redirect domain doesn’t need its own WordPress installation.
20. SSL Implications
This is extremely important.
If:
example.com
www.example.comboth serve HTTPS, the certificate needs to cover both names.
Therefore SSL should understand:
PRIMARY
+
ALIASES21. Certificate Names
For example:
example.com
www.example.comcan be included in the same certificate.
Then:
hosting-ssl example.comshould eventually inspect all active domain names attached to the site.
22. Adding an Alias After SSL
Suppose:
example.comalready has SSL.
Then:
hosting-domain-add www.example.com --alias example.comcreates a new requirement:
certificate currently:
example.com
required:
example.com
www.example.comTherefore the platform should mark:
SSL_STATE=RENEWAL_REQUIREDor:
SSL_STATE=NEEDS_UPDATEuntil the certificate is updated.
23. Don’t Automatically Break HTTPS
If you modify:
server_namebefore updating SSL, you could create:
www.example.com
↓
HTTPS
↓
certificate mismatchTherefore domain addition and SSL update must be coordinated.
24. Domain Addition Workflow
For an alias:
hosting-domain-add
│
▼
Validate domain
│
▼
Check uniqueness
│
▼
Register domain
│
▼
Generate Nginx config
│
▼
nginx -t
│
▼
Reload
│
▼
Update SSL requirement25. DNS Is Not Automatically Controlled
Adding a domain to CHP does not necessarily create DNS records.
These are separate layers:
Domain Registration
↓
DNS
↓
CHP Domain Registry
↓
Nginx
↓
SSLIf your platform doesn’t operate authoritative DNS, it should tell the administrator what DNS record is required.
26. DNS Requirement Output
For:
www.example.comshow:
Required DNS:
Type: A
Name: www
Value: YOUR_SERVER_IPIf IPv6 is supported:
Type: AAAA
Name: www
Value: YOUR_IPV627. Don’t Assume DNS Is Ready
After adding:
www.example.comthe system should be able to say:
DNS:
PENDINGrather than:
ACTIVE28. Domain State
Each domain can have:
PENDING_DNS
ACTIVE
SUSPENDED
ERROR
REMOVEDFor example:
example.com
DNS=ACTIVE
www.example.com
DNS=PENDING29. Domain Health
Eventually:
hosting-domain-list example.comcan show:
DOMAIN TYPE DNS SSL
--------------------------------------------------
example.com PRIMARY OK OK
www.example.com ALIAS OK OK
old-example.com REDIRECT OK OK30. Create hosting-domain-add
Create:
sudo nano /usr/local/bin/hosting-domain-addBasic structure:
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -Eeuo pipefailRequire root:
if [[ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]]; then
echo "ERROR: Run with sudo."
exit 1
fi31. Parse Arguments
Basic syntax:
hosting-domain-add DOMAINor:
hosting-domain-add DOMAIN --alias TARGETor:
hosting-domain-add DOMAIN --redirect TARGETFor example:
www.example.com --alias example.commeans:
DOMAIN=www.example.com
TARGET=example.com
TYPE=ALIAS32. Validate Target
For:
hosting-domain-add www.example.com --alias example.comverify:
example.comexists as a CHP site.
Otherwise:
ERROR:
Target site does not exist.33. Redirect Validation
For:
hosting-domain-add old-example.com --redirect example.comcheck:
old-example.com != example.comand:
target existsAlso avoid redirect loops.
34. Redirect Loop Example
Don’t allow:
old.example.com → example.com
example.com → old.example.comor:
A → B
B → C
C → AYour domain registry should detect cycles.
35. Redirect Chain
Prefer:
old.example.com
↓
example.comnot:
old.example.com
↓
www.example.com
↓
example.comLong redirect chains increase latency and complicate SEO/application behavior.
36. Domain Database Constraints
When you implement the database version, enforce:
domain UNIQUEThis prevents:
example.com → site 1
example.com → site 2from existing simultaneously.
37. Domain Ownership
A domain can only belong to one site.
Example:
example.com
↓
SITE 1027Another site cannot claim:
example.comunless the domain is explicitly removed/reassigned.
38. Reassignment
Changing:
example.com
SITE Ato:
example.com
SITE Bshould be a separate operation:
hosting-domain-move example.com SITE_BIt should not happen implicitly.
39. Why Move Is Dangerous
Moving a domain changes:
Nginx
SSL
WordPress canonical URL
DNS expectations
traffic routingTherefore it deserves its own controlled workflow.
40. hosting-domain-list
Create:
sudo nano /usr/local/bin/hosting-domain-listExpected:
CresignSys Domains
==================
Site: example.com
DOMAIN TYPE STATUS
------------------------------------------------
example.com PRIMARY ACTIVE
www.example.com ALIAS ACTIVE
old-example.com REDIRECT ACTIVE41. hosting-domain-remove
This command must be conservative.
For:
hosting-domain-remove www.example.comremove:
domain registry entry
Nginx hostname
SSL hostname requirementbut do not remove:
website files
database
site itself42. Never Allow Primary Removal Without Replacement
Suppose:
example.com → PRIMARYand the user runs:
hosting-domain-remove example.comDon’t allow it unless:
another domainis promoted to primary.
Otherwise:
SITE
↓
NO PRIMARY DOMAINwhich breaks the site’s identity.
43. Primary Domain Change
A future command:
hosting-domain-primary example.com www.example.comcould change:
OLD:
example.com → PRIMARY
www.example.com → ALIAS
NEW:
www.example.com → PRIMARY
example.com → ALIASBut this should also update WordPress URLs when appropriate.
44. Domain + WordPress
Changing the primary domain may require:
siteurl
home
canonical URLs
redirects
media URLs
SSL
NginxTherefore domain management must eventually coordinate with the application layer.
45. Domain + SSL
The relationship becomes:
Site
│
├── Domain A
├── Domain B
└── Domain C
│
▼
SSL Certificate
│
├── A
├── B
└── CSo the certificate should be generated from the current domain registry rather than manually listing names.
46. Domain + Backup
Backup doesn’t need to create a separate backup for every alias.
For:
example.com
www.example.comboth use:
same site dataTherefore:
one site backupis sufficient.
47. Domain + Suspension
If the site is:
SUSPENDEDall domains attached to the site should follow the suspension state.
For example:
example.com
www.example.comboth return:
503A redirect domain may continue redirecting, depending on your policy, but the final target should remain unavailable.
48. Domain + Health
Health checks should eventually test every active hostname.
For:
example.com
www.example.comcheck:
DNS
HTTP
HTTPS
certificateThis catches:
www.example.combeing broken while:
example.comworks.
49. Domain + Backup Restore
When restoring:
example.comthe attached domain registry should not disappear.
Restore customer data, but preserve current infrastructure relationships:
example.com
www.example.comremain attached to the site.
50. Domain Registry vs Backup
This reinforces our previous architecture:
BACKUP DATA
│
├── WordPress files
└── Database
CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE
│
├── Domains
├── Nginx
├── PHP
└── SSLThe current infrastructure should generally remain authoritative during restore.
51. Domain Status Example
A complete site might show:
SITE
--------------------------------
Primary:
example.com
Domains:
example.com PRIMARY
www.example.com ALIAS
old.example.com REDIRECT
DNS:
OK
SSL:
OK
Service:
ACTIVE52. Domain Addition Output
CresignSys Domain Add
=====================
Domain:
www.example.com
Type:
ALIAS
Target:
example.com
[OK] Domain validated
[OK] Target site found
[OK] Domain available
[OK] Domain registered
[OK] Nginx configuration generated
[OK] nginx -t
[OK] Nginx reloaded
DNS:
PENDING
SSL:
UPDATE REQUIREDThis is an honest result.
53. Why SSL UPDATE REQUIRED?
Because adding the hostname changes the set of names the certificate should cover.
The administrator can then run:
sudo hosting-ssl example.comto update the certificate.
Eventually this can be automated safely.
54. Domain Removal Output
CresignSys Domain Remove
========================
Domain:
www.example.com
Type:
ALIAS
[OK] Domain removed
[OK] Nginx configuration updated
[OK] nginx -t
[OK] Nginx reloaded
SSL:
UPDATE REQUIREDAgain, the website itself remains intact.
55. Redirect Output
CresignSys Domain Add
=====================
Domain:
old-example.com
Type:
REDIRECT
Target:
example.com
[OK] Domain validated
[OK] Target validated
[OK] Redirect configuration generated
[OK] nginx -t
[OK] Nginx reloaded
Status:
ACTIVE56. Wildcard Domains
Eventually you may want:
*.example.comBut don’t implement wildcard domains in the first version.
They complicate:
DNS
SSL
routing
security
customer isolationStart with explicit hostnames.
57. Internationalized Domain Names
International domain names introduce:
Unicode
PunycodeFor the initial CHP version, use normalized ASCII/Punycode hostnames.
Internationalized domain support can be added later.
58. Domain Security
The domain-management layer is a major security boundary.
Never allow a customer/site user to register:
google.comor another customer’s domain unless your platform’s ownership verification process confirms control.
59. Domain Ownership Verification
For a reseller/hosting platform, eventually implement:
Domain
↓
DNS verification
↓
Ownership confirmed
↓
Attach to siteFor example:
TXT
_cresignsys-verification.example.comwith a generated token.
60. Why Ownership Verification Matters
Without it, someone could attempt:
hosting-domain-add bank-example.com --alias theirsite.comand potentially configure your infrastructure to respond for a domain they don’t control.
Therefore domain attachment should eventually require proof of control.
61. DNS Verification Token
Conceptually:
_cresignsys-verification.example.comTXT:
cresignsys-site-1027-randomtokenCHP checks:
DNS TXT
↓
token matches
↓
ownership verifiedThen the domain becomes attachable.
62. But Don’t Mix This Into the First Script
First version:
hosting-domain-addcan work for administrator-controlled domains.
Later:
hosting-domain-verifycan provide customer self-service ownership verification.
63. Multi-Domain Site Architecture
We now have:
SITE 1027
│
┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
example.com www.example.com old-example.com
PRIMARY ALIAS REDIRECT
│ │ │
└─────────────────┼─────────────────┘
▼
Nginx
│
┌─────┴─────┐
▼ ▼
PHP SSL
│
▼
WordPress64. Updated CHP Model
The platform is becoming:
CHP
│
┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
Sites Domains Services
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
WordPress Primary/Alias PHP-FPM
Files Redirect Nginx
Database DNS MySQL
Backup SSL SSL
Restore65. Lesson 074 — Core Principle
A domain is not the same thing as a website.
The correct model is:
SITE
├── Primary Domain
├── Aliases
└── Redirect DomainsThis separation makes:
SSL
DNS
Nginx
WordPress
suspension
backup
restoremuch easier to manage correctly.
66. Current CHP Command Set
hosting-create DOMAIN
hosting-list
hosting-info DOMAIN
hosting-health DOMAIN
hosting-repair DOMAIN --php
hosting-repair DOMAIN --nginx
hosting-repair DOMAIN --permissions
hosting-repair DOMAIN --wordpress
hosting-ssl DOMAIN
hosting-backup DOMAIN
hosting-backup-list DOMAIN
hosting-backup-verify DOMAIN BACKUP_ID
hosting-backup-prune DOMAIN --dry-run
hosting-backup-prune DOMAIN --execute
hosting-restore DOMAIN BACKUP_ID
hosting-suspend DOMAIN
hosting-unsuspend DOMAIN
hosting-domain-add DOMAIN
hosting-domain-add DOMAIN --alias TARGET
hosting-domain-add DOMAIN --redirect TARGET
hosting-domain-list DOMAIN
hosting-domain-remove DOMAINNext Lesson — 075
Build hosting-dns-check
The next layer connects the domain registry with actual DNS.
We need a command such as:
sudo hosting-dns-check example.comthat determines:
Domain
↓
A record
↓
AAAA record
↓
CNAME
↓
Nameserver resolution
↓
Expected server
↓
Actual serverThe output should distinguish:
DNS = CORRECT
DNS = PENDING
DNS = WRONG
DNS = MULTIPLE
DNS = ERRORand eventually provide:
Required DNS
----------------
A @ SERVER_IP
A www SERVER_IP
AAAA @ SERVER_IPV6This will connect the domain layer → DNS → HTTP → HTTPS → SSL into one complete provisioning workflow.
Leave a Reply