How to Point Two Domains to the Same Website on a VPS

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Point both domains’ A records—and their AAAA records if the VPS serves IPv6—to the VPS public address. Then configure your web server to recognize both hostnames. NGINX uses server_name; Apache uses ServerName and ServerAlias. Finally, install HTTPS coverage for every hostname that accepts secure connections and choose whether the second domain displays the same site or permanently redirects to one canonical domain.

Decide what “the same website” should mean

Two domains can reach the same files and application while following two different URL policies. Decide this before writing the server configuration because the policy changes your redirects, certificate names and application settings.

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Keep both domains active

Both domains return the site directly. For example, example.com/about and second.example/about remain separate public URLs while reading from the same document root or application. This is useful when both names are intentional entry points, but it creates multiple public URLs for identical content. Your application may also need to understand both hostnames when generating links, cookies or absolute redirects.

Use one canonical domain

Make one domain the public address and send every request for the other domain to it with a permanent HTTP 301 redirect. A request for second.example/about should become https://example.com/about, preserving the path and query string. This gives search engines and users one durable URL while still allowing the alternate name to catch traffic.

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Prepare DNS at the authoritative provider

DNS determines which server receives a request; it does not select a website on that server. Apache’s documentation specifically notes that creating a virtual host does not create DNS entries. Complete the DNS work and the web-server work separately.

Create records for each hostname

Use the exact hostnames that people will enter. The bare domain, its www name and the second domain are different names and each must be covered by DNS and HTTPS if you intend to accept it. Do not publish an AAAA record merely because the VPS has an IPv6 address: an unreachable or misconfigured IPv6 service can make some visitors fail even while IPv4 works.

Check that DNS reaches the VPS

After saving records, query each name from a machine outside the VPS. DNS caching means different networks can see the old answer for a while, according to the record’s TTL.

dig +short example.com A
dig +short second.example A
dig +short example.com AAAA
dig +short second.example AAAA

The returned addresses should match the VPS addresses you intend to serve. If a name returns an old address, an unexpected proxy address or nothing at all, fix DNS before troubleshooting NGINX or Apache. A server block cannot receive a request that never reaches the server.

Configure NGINX for both domains

NGINX chooses a server block using the request hostname and the server_name directive. Put every hostname that should serve identical content in the same block.

Serve both names from one NGINX block

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com second.example;

    root /var/www/site;
    index index.html index.php;

    # Add the location rules required by your application here.
    # location / { ... }
}

Replace the example names and document root with your values. The server_name list must contain the bare names, www names and any other hostname you actually publish. If your application is proxied rather than served from files, keep the same hostname list and use the application’s existing location and upstream settings.

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Redirect the alternate domain instead

For a canonical-domain policy, give the alternate name its own port-80 block. The redirect keeps the original request path and query string through $request_uri.

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name second.example;

    location ^~ /.well-known/acme-challenge/ {
        root /var/www/site;
    }

    location / {
        return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
    }
}

The canonical name gets the content-serving block. If you also publish www.example.com, decide whether it is canonical or another redirect source and configure it explicitly rather than relying on whichever block NGINX happens to select.

Add HTTPS server blocks

For names that remain active, the HTTPS block must list all of them and reference a certificate whose name coverage includes all of them.

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.com www.example.com second.example;

    ssl_certificate     /path/to/certificate.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/private-key.pem;
    root /var/www/site;

    # Existing application location rules go here.
}

If the second domain redirects, use a separate HTTPS block for it that returns a 301 to the canonical HTTPS URL. It still needs a certificate matching the alternate hostname; browsers establish TLS before they can receive the redirect.

NGINX uses TLS Server Name Indication (SNI) to select among certificates on one IP address. SNI does not repair an incomplete configuration: the client-supplied hostname, server_name value and certificate names must agree.

Test and reload safely

1. Run nginx -t and correct every syntax or file-permission error it reports.
2. Reload only after the test succeeds, using your operating system’s service manager, for example systemctl reload nginx.
3. Keep the previous working configuration available so you can restore it if the reload or a live request exposes an error.

Configure Apache for both domains

Apache’s name-based virtual hosting lets multiple hostnames share one IP address. Set the primary name with ServerName and additional names with ServerAlias.

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Serve both names from one virtual host

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com second.example
    DocumentRoot /var/www/site

    # Add the Directory, proxy and rewrite rules required by the site.
</VirtualHost>

The virtual host and DNS are separate requirements: this block tells Apache what to do after a request reaches the VPS, while A/AAAA records tell the internet where to send it. Enable the site according to your distribution’s Apache layout, then verify that the intended virtual host is the one Apache loads.

Redirect the alternate hostname

When only one public URL should remain, remove the alternate name from the content-serving host and create a redirect-only virtual host for it. Preserve the ACME challenge path on port 80 if your certificate process uses that path.

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName second.example

    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteRule ^/.well-known/acme-challenge/ - [L]
    RewriteRule ^/(.*)$ https://example.com/$1 [R=301,L]
</VirtualHost>

The exact rewrite and challenge handling can differ with your existing Apache modules and layout. The important behavior is that normal requests receive a permanent redirect while /.well-known/acme-challenge/ remains reachable for validation.

Configure Apache HTTPS coverage

Create an HTTPS virtual host for every hostname that accepts port 443 traffic. A content-serving host uses one ServerName, the required ServerAlias values and certificate directives whose certificate covers all listed names. A redirect-only HTTPS host uses the alternate name and returns the 301 to the canonical HTTPS URL.

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com second.example
    DocumentRoot /var/www/site

    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /path/to/certificate.pem
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/private-key.pem
</VirtualHost>

Use the certificate and key paths supplied by your TLS automation or certificate authority. Do not copy a certificate path from another server unless the file really exists on this VPS and its private key is protected.

Test and reload Apache

1. Run the configuration test provided by your installation, commonly apachectl configtest or apache2ctl configtest.
2. Resolve syntax errors, missing modules, unreadable certificate files and duplicate virtual-host problems before reloading.
3. Reload Apache through the service manager only after the test reports success.

Enable HTTPS for every hostname

HTTPS coverage follows hostnames, not websites. A certificate for example.com alone does not cover second.example or www.example.com. Request a certificate containing every name that users can open over HTTPS, or use separate certificates with a layout that clearly assigns each certificate to the correct virtual host.

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Keep port 80 available for validation

If your certificate authority validates ownership through /.well-known/acme-challenge/, do not redirect or block that path before validation can read the challenge file. You can redirect ordinary port-80 requests to HTTPS while allowing the challenge location to pass through to the directory used by your certificate process.

Check the certificate actually presented

Open each hostname with https:// and inspect the certificate’s subject alternative names in the browser. Test the canonical and alternate names separately. A successful page load is not enough if the browser silently reached a different hostname or cached an earlier certificate.

Validate the complete setup

Work from the network inward. This order prevents a web-server change from masking a DNS or certificate problem.

1. Resolve each name. Confirm A and, when intentionally used, AAAA answers point to the VPS.
2. Test HTTP host routing. Request each hostname and verify that it either serves the intended site or returns the planned 301. A command such as curl -I http://second.example/path exposes the status and Location header without downloading the page.
3. Test HTTPS independently. Run curl -I https://example.com/path and the equivalent command for the second domain. Check for certificate errors, the expected status and the correct redirect target.
4. Inspect the certificate names. Every hostname accepted on port 443 must appear in the certificate’s name list.
5. Test the server configuration before each reload. Use nginx -t for NGINX or the Apache configuration-test command for Apache.
6. Check both address families. If IPv6 is published, test from an IPv6-capable network as well as IPv4. An AAAA record can send visitors to a different listener or firewall path.

Troubleshoot common failures

The domain shows a registrar or old hosting page

The A or AAAA record is still wrong, cached or being overridden by another record. Query the authoritative DNS configuration and compare the answer with the VPS addresses. Do not change virtual-host files until the request can reach this server.

The correct site appears for one name but not the other

The hostname is missing from NGINX’s server_name list or Apache’s ServerAlias, or a different default host is catching the request. Add the exact name, test the configuration and reload. Also check that you are testing the same protocol: port 80 and port 443 use separate host definitions.

HTTPS reports a name mismatch

The certificate does not contain the hostname the browser requested, or the request reached a different HTTPS virtual host. Add the hostname to the certificate, assign that certificate to the matching host and verify SNI-based selection. A certificate for the canonical domain cannot by itself secure the alternate domain.

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The alternate domain redirects in a loop

Inspect the redirect target and the HTTPS host. The alternate HTTP and HTTPS hosts should point to the canonical HTTPS URL, while the canonical HTTPS host should serve content rather than redirect back. If a proxy or application also forces HTTPS, ensure it recognizes the original protocol correctly.

Certificate validation fails after adding a redirect

The redirect-only host is intercepting /.well-known/acme-challenge/, the challenge files are in the wrong document root, or port 80 is blocked. Restore a reachable challenge location, complete validation, then re-enable the normal redirect behavior.

IPv4 works but some visitors cannot connect

Check whether an AAAA record was published without a working IPv6 listener, firewall rule or web-server listen configuration. Remove the AAAA record until IPv6 is correctly served, or complete the IPv6 configuration and test it directly.

NGINX and Apache: which model fits?

The DNS design is identical for both servers: each public hostname must resolve to the VPS before name-based routing can work.

Extend the pattern beyond two domains

One VPS can host more than two domains using the same name-based approach. For every additional hostname, repeat the complete chain: create its DNS records, add it to the appropriate content or redirect host, include it in HTTPS certificate coverage, and test HTTP, HTTPS and IPv6 behavior if applicable. Keep a written list of accepted names so a renewal or configuration change does not silently omit one.

When domains represent different sites rather than aliases, give each site its own root or upstream and its own hostname list. Sharing an IP does not require sharing files; the hostname is the selector that separates virtual hosts.

Practical completion checklist

• Both domains’ A records point to the VPS IPv4 address.
• AAAA records exist only for a functioning VPS IPv6 service.
• The chosen URL policy—both active or one canonical redirect—is documented.
• NGINX has the exact names in server_name, or Apache has them in ServerName/ServerAlias.
• Every hostname accepted on port 443 appears in a certificate’s name list.
• The port-80 ACME challenge path remains reachable during certificate issuance and renewal.
• Configuration tests pass before reload.
• Each hostname has been tested over HTTP and HTTPS, including the expected redirect behavior.
• IPv4 and IPv6 have been tested separately whenever both records are published.

What to remember

DNS gets both names to the VPS; virtual-host configuration chooses what the VPS returns. NGINX makes that choice with server_name, while Apache uses ServerName and ServerAlias. HTTPS then adds a second matching requirement: the certificate and SNI-selected host must cover the hostname the visitor entered. Once those layers agree, serving one site from two domains—or redirecting one domain to the other—is a repeatable configuration pattern rather than a special VPS feature.

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