# Split-server{ } subdomains

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/split-server-subdomains/175146>\
**Category:** NGINX\
**Created:** [September 8, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/split-server-subdomains/175146 "2009-09-08T23:47:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Nuno_MagalhSSSSes)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/split-server-subdomains/175146/1 "2009-09-08T23:47:02Z")

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Hi,

Can i have:

server{  
listen 80;  
server\_name [domain.com](http://domain.com) [www.domain.com](http://www.domain.com);  
root /dir1;  
}  
server{  
listen 80;  
server\_name [sub.domain.com](http://sub.domain.com);  
root /dir2;  
}

Without adding an A-record for [sub.domain.com](http://sub.domain.com)’s DNS?

TIA,  
Nuno

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Nuno_MagalhSSSSes)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/split-server-subdomains/175146/2 "2009-09-08T23:56:24Z")

</div>

2009/9/8 Nuno Magalhães [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):

> Without adding an A-record for [sub.domain.com](http://sub.domain.com)’s DNS?

You need a wildcart in DNS, A-record or CNAME for \*.domain.com.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Nuno_MagalhSSSSes)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/split-server-subdomains/175146/3 "2009-09-09T00:08:07Z")

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Yes, because nginx isn’t needing the name to resolve to different  
locations.

Your DNS zones should send all request to X ip address.  
Then nginx will just read in the HOST header from the http request and  
load the appropriate server entry from your configuration.

Does that make sense?

David M.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Nuno_MagalhSSSSes)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/split-server-subdomains/175146/4 "2009-09-09T00:14:33Z")

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Hello!

On Tue, Sep 08, 2009 at 10:40:51PM +0100, Nuno Magalhães wrote:

> listen 80;  
> server\_name [sub.domain.com](http://sub.domain.com);  
> root /dir2;  
> }
> 
> Without adding an A-record for [sub.domain.com](http://sub.domain.com)’s DNS?

Yes. Server\_name is just string that will be matched on ‘Host’  
header got in request. It doesn’t matter if this string is valid  
domain name or not.

Maxim D.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nuno\_MagalhSSSSes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Nuno_MagalhSSSSes)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/split-server-subdomains/175146/5 "2009-09-09T00:30:22Z")

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Thanks David and Maxim.

On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 22:50, Grzegorz S.[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> You need a wildcart in DNS, A-record or CNAME for \*.domain.com.

I have 3 a-records at the moment: [domain.com](http://domain.com), [www.domain.com](http://www.domain.com),  
[sub.domain.com](http://sub.domain.com) (i guess these two could maybe be replaced by cname).  
I assumed [domain.com](http://domain.com) would be the same as \*.domain.com, but i guess  
not.

If i set \*.domain.com, i assume nginx will redirect  
[nonexistant.domain.com](http://nonexistant.domain.com) to the default server or, if no default is set,  
to the first one that matches… would that be [domain.com](http://domain.com) or the first  
alphabetical subdomain?