AtomicEdge

Documentation

Subdomain Configuration

Configure protection for www, blog, shop, and other subdomains.

Understanding Subdomains

What Are Subdomains?

  • Root domain: example.com
  • WWW subdomain: www.example.com
  • Other subdomains: blog.example.com, shop.example.com, api.example.com

Protection Options

  • Protect all subdomains - Route everything through AtomicEdge
  • Protect specific subdomains - Choose which ones to protect
  • Leave some unprotected - Direct routing for development, etc.

Method 1: Individual Subdomain Records

Protect Specific Subdomains

Add separate DNS records for each subdomain you want to protect:

@ → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - root domain)
www → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - www subdomain)
blog → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - blog subdomain)
shop → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - shop subdomain)

Leave Some Unprotected

@ → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - protected)
www → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - protected)
blog → 203.0.113.50 (Direct to blog server - not protected)
dev → 192.168.1.100 (Direct to dev server - not protected)

Method 2: Wildcard Records

Protect All Subdomains

Use a wildcard record to automatically protect any subdomain:

Record Type: A
Name: *
Value: 198.51.100.10
TTL: 300

When to Use Wildcards

  • Many subdomains - You have lots of subdomains
  • Dynamic subdomains - Subdomains are created automatically
  • Simple setup - You want everything protected by default

When NOT to Use Wildcards

  • Mixed protection - Some subdomains should not be protected
  • Different servers - Subdomains point to different servers
  • Email subdomains - Mail servers should not be proxied

Common Subdomain Scenarios

Standard Business Website

@ → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge)
www → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge)

E-commerce with Blog

@ → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - main site)
www → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - main site)
shop → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - e-commerce)
blog → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge - blog)

Multi-Environment Setup

# Production (protected)
@ → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge)
www → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge)

# Development (not protected)
dev → 192.168.1.100 (Direct to dev server)
staging → 192.168.1.101 (Direct to staging server)
test → 192.168.1.102 (Direct to test server)

SaaS Application

# Main marketing site
@ → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge)
www → 198.51.100.10 (AtomicEdge)

# Application subdomains
app → 198.51.100.20 (Different AtomicEdge endpoint)
api → 198.51.100.20 (Same as app)
admin → 198.51.100.20 (Same as app)

# Support and docs
help → 198.51.100.10 (Same as main site)
docs → 198.51.100.10 (Same as main site)

AtomicEdge Site Configuration

Adding Subdomains to AtomicEdge

For each subdomain you want to protect:

  1. Go to your AtomicEdge dashboard
  2. Click "Add New Site"
  3. Enter the full subdomain (e.g., blog.example.com)
  4. Configure the backend IP for that subdomain
  5. Get the WAF endpoint IP for DNS configuration

Multiple Sites vs Single Site

  • Separate sites - Different backend servers, different settings
  • Single site - Same backend server, same protection settings

Email and Special Subdomains

Don't Protect These

  • Mail servers: mail.example.com, smtp.example.com
  • FTP servers: ftp.example.com
  • Direct access: cpanel.example.com, webmail.example.com

Keep These Direct

mail → 203.0.113.100 (Direct to mail server)
ftp → 203.0.113.101 (Direct to FTP server)
cpanel → 203.0.113.102 (Direct to hosting panel)

Testing Subdomain Configuration

Verify Each Subdomain

  1. Visit each subdomain in your browser
  2. Check that they load correctly
  3. Verify in AtomicEdge dashboard that traffic is flowing
  4. Test functionality (login, checkout, etc.)

DNS Verification Tools

  • whatsmydns.net - Check global DNS propagation
  • dnschecker.org - Verify DNS records worldwide
  • nslookup - Command line DNS checking

Need Help?

  • 💬 Live Chat: Get help with subdomain configuration
  • 📧 Email Support: Send us your subdomain list for review
  • 🛠️ Managed Setup: We can configure all subdomains for you (Enterprise)