Website testing before domain name delegation

Kal

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Nov 18, 2019
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How do other people handle the situation where you want to let a client check their website before delegating their domain name to your name server? I think it's too much to ask clients to modify a hosts file on their PC, and I don't want to use the mod_userdir method, as it's considered a security vulnerability.

For sites on our old cPanel server, I used the hosts.cx service, which generates a testing URL to share with the client… and for the most part that worked well. But for some reason, it's not working on the new DirectAdmin server. The hosts.cx URL just returns a white page with 'Apache is functioning normally' in the top corner. 😕
 
You can add domain pointer in DA panel, this pointer must be based on any domain that already pointed to this server by NS.
let it be: myhosting.com (already pointed to server by NSs)
then you can add to clients newdomain.new domain pointer like newdom.myhosting.com - it will be an alias.
also check at admin-level administration settings "check domain owner for subdomain creation - off"
 
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IF windows client ;) pc then in hosts file domain and ip.

Thats is pretty normal to ask, or wait for clients a short time, because before moving it is also normal to set TTL time very low.

And new domains why not wait , while things going wrong with workarrounds only give extra stress.
 
IF windows client ;) pc then in hosts file domain and ip.

Thats is pretty normal to ask, or wait for clients a short time, because before moving it is also normal to set TTL time very low.

And new domains why not wait , while things going wrong with workarrounds only give extra stress.
This woks in Mac as well.
 
then you can add to clients newdomain.new domain pointer like newdom.myhosting.com - it will be an alias.

A subdomain alias… That's a pretty cool idea. I'd honestly not thought of doing it that way before… a bit outside the box, but it makes sense. (Or is everyone doing it that way and I just never knew?)

IF windows client ;) pc then in hosts file domain and ip.
Thats is pretty normal to ask …

As Brent said, totally doable on the Mac (or any machine with hosts file). And sure, it's not really that hard to edit a text file, but it's just the kind of thing most normal people don't want to be screwing around with. It's also the kind of thing people will forget they did, so that one day when an A record changes again, they'll be wondering why they can't reach the site on their PC.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'wait for clients a short time'? I like to test any new site on the actual server before going live.
 
I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'wait for clients a short time'? I like to test any new site on the actual server before going live.

For those who want to test sites before live they know how to handle host files. ( and much more)

For others please they can wait ( till domain resolved) while every work arround is one with others spending extra time and explaining and do settings or whatever, also if you test connections live with other software / databases if only one pointer or hosts doesn't have all the right value's could be..


If you want to test before going live you mostly need working SSL to for example ( own cert...___) , so better to do tests in an subdomain or directory with full resolving Domains. ( or even local box, or containers...)

I know by own experience leider.:eek:

Working for us to test at almost live conditions is same domainname with other tld extension, then secured with htacces on ip base access on same server and user as the live must be. ( we only have to use then other databases( even same before going live but i love a testsample database), and change tld in software/configs before going live)
 
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I need a help about that. i set a domain in directadmin but appears " Apache is functioning normally " .
main DNS are ns1.maindomain.com and ns2.maindomain.com and the domain mydomain.com has these DNS
However when I create an account for mydomain.com, in panel appear that:
What i have to do to change <VirtualHost 127.0.0.1:80> to <VirtualHost 15.15.15.15:80> because the ip 127.0.0.1 DirectAdmin does by default. I do know how set this domain correctly. I attached file httpd.conf
Contents of the httpd.conf file for mydomain.com
 

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