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Yes. WordPress Multisite can serve each subsite from a different top-level domain, such as brand-one.example and brand-two.example. WordPress 4.5 and later include domain mapping in core, so ordinary mapped domains do not require a domain-mapping plugin.
The WordPress setting is only one part of the job. Every domain must resolve in DNS to the server, the web server or hosting panel must route that hostname to the same WordPress installation, and each hostname must have valid HTTPS coverage. The reliable process is to prepare DNS, server routing, rewrites and certificates first, then save the mapped URL in Network Admin and test every host.
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A Multisite network is one WordPress installation with multiple sites (often called subsites) sharing core files, the administrator system and, depending on configuration, plugins and themes. Each subsite normally receives either a hostname or a path from the network’s URL structure.
Domain mapping changes the public address of a subsite to a separate domain. The subsite still runs from the same WordPress document root and database network; only the host visitors use is different. For example, a subsite that originally appears at site1.example.com or example.com/site1 can be presented at company-one.test.
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This is not the same as installing WordPress separately for every domain. A mapped Multisite network centralizes updates, user administration and network-level configuration, but it also makes DNS, certificates, caching, cookies and migrations shared operational responsibilities.
Choose the network URL model first
Multisite can be created as a domain-based network or a path-based network. A mapped top-level domain can be attached to a subsite in either model, but the infrastructure work differs.
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| Model | Normal subsite address | Routing implications | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain-based | site1.example.com |
Usually needs a wildcard DNS record or explicit virtual-host/add-on-domain entries so hostnames reach the WordPress installation. | Networks that expect many hostname-based sites or want each subsite isolated by hostname from the beginning. |
| Path-based | example.com/site1 |
The main domain already reaches WordPress; additional mapped domains still need their own DNS records, server aliases and certificates. | Networks that primarily use branded paths and only occasionally attach an external domain. |
Changing the model after a network is in production is disruptive. Decide whether most sites will use subdomains, paths or mapped domains before activation, and document the original network URL because it remains important during troubleshooting and migration.
Prerequisites to verify before mapping a domain
One working Multisite installation
Start with a correctly installed and activated Multisite network. Rewrites must be enabled, and the network should already serve its primary address without redirect loops or broken permalinks. Domain mapping does not repair an incomplete network installation.
DNS control for every public domain
You need authority to edit DNS for each domain. The required record depends on your hosting design, but the result must be that the hostname resolves to the server that runs the network. The WordPress Developer Resources guidance is explicit: the domains must already be mapped to your DNS server before you use them in the network.
DNS alone is not enough. A record can resolve correctly while the web server still sends the request to a default site, a parking page or another application. Treat DNS and server routing as two separate checks.
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Web-server or hosting-panel routing
Configure every mapped hostname as an alias, add-on domain or virtual host that points to the same WordPress document root as the network. The server must pass the original host header through to WordPress. If a hosting panel creates a separate directory for the domain, change that routing or the request will never reach the intended subsite.
The official Multisite preparation guidance summarizes the dependency: DNS maps the domain name to the server’s IP address, while the server maps the domain name to the WordPress installation directory. Both mappings are required.
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HTTPS certificates
Every public hostname needs a certificate that covers that hostname. Install the certificate before switching the subsite URL to https://, and include both the primary network domain and all mapped domains in your certificate plan. Server Name Indication (SNI) allows one server to present different certificates for multiple hostnames, which is the normal arrangement for several mapped domains.
Certificate issuance and renewal must continue to work after DNS or hosting changes. An expired certificate, a certificate covering only the network domain, or a certificate installed on the wrong virtual host will produce browser warnings even when WordPress itself is configured correctly.
Native domain mapping in WordPress 4.5 and later
WordPress Developer Resources states that domain mapping is a native feature in WordPress 4.5 and newer. For ordinary one-domain-per-subsite use, you do not need to install a mapping plugin or edit sunrise.php.
Core mapping does not eliminate infrastructure work. WordPress can store the site URL and generate links for it, but it cannot create your DNS records, issue certificates or configure your web server. Those services remain outside the WordPress dashboard.
Step-by-step setup
1. Make a domain inventory
List the primary network domain, every subsite’s current address, the final public domain, the DNS provider, the server or hosting account responsible for routing, and the certificate that will cover it. Include both the bare hostname and the preferred HTTPS form you intend to publish. Decide whether visitors should use the apex form, a www hostname or another canonical hostname, then plan one redirect rather than several competing redirects.
2. Confirm the network model and subsite
Identify whether the network is domain-based or path-based and record the subsite you will map. Make sure the subsite works at its current network URL before changing anything. This gives you a known-good address for comparison if the mapped host fails.
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3. Create the DNS records
Add the record or records that direct the mapped domain to the network server. If your domain-based network uses wildcard DNS for subdomains, verify that the wildcard does not unintentionally capture a hostname that should go elsewhere. For a top-level mapped domain, an explicit record is usually clearer because it documents the exact site-to-server relationship.
Allow for DNS caching and propagation. Test resolution from more than one network if a change is not visible immediately, and do not interpret a stale resolver result as a WordPress failure.
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4. Add the hostname to the server
In your web server configuration or hosting panel, add the mapped domain as an alias, add-on domain or virtual host targeting the existing WordPress document root. Configure both HTTP and HTTPS listeners if your server separates them, and preserve the host header. Do not point the domain at a new empty directory unless you are intentionally creating a separate installation.
5. Verify rewrites and the front controller
Visit the mapped domain before changing the subsite URL. It should reach the same WordPress installation rather than a default server page. If the request produces a 404 for every WordPress path, check the server’s rewrite rules and the network’s front-controller configuration. A mapped hostname that reaches the wrong directory cannot be fixed from Network Admin.
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Install a valid certificate for the mapped hostname and confirm that the HTTPS virtual host serves it. Test the certificate chain in a browser and make sure the renewal mechanism knows about the domain. If you use SNI, verify that the server selects the correct certificate when the mapped hostname is supplied.
7. Save the mapped URL in Network Admin
- Sign in as a network administrator.
- Open Network Admin → Sites.
- Locate the subsite and select Edit.
- In the site address or URL field, replace the network address with the complete mapped URL, for example
https://example.com. - Save the changes.
Use the complete canonical scheme and hostname you intend visitors to use. Do not enter only a label such as example.com when the field expects a URL.
8. Purge and test caches
Clear any page cache, reverse-proxy cache or CDN entry that was created under the old host. Then test the new hostname in a private browser window. Cached redirects and cached HTML are frequent reasons an apparently correct mapping seems unchanged.
What to test on every mapped host
Test each domain separately; a working primary site does not prove that another mapped host is configured correctly.
- Front end: the home page, a representative post or page, navigation menus and internal links should stay on the mapped hostname.
- HTTPS behavior: HTTP should follow the intended single redirect to HTTPS, and HTTPS should show the certificate issued for that hostname.
- Login and administration: sign in, open the dashboard and sign out. Confirm that the login form does not return to the wrong domain.
- Media: upload or open an image and inspect its URL. Existing media should not unexpectedly point to the old network address.
- REST and asynchronous requests: check the editor, REST endpoints and any front-end feature that makes background requests. Host or scheme mismatches can break these while ordinary pages still load.
- Canonical URLs and redirects: inspect page-source canonical links and redirect destinations so search engines and users receive one consistent hostname.
- Cookies: verify that authentication and preference cookies are accepted on the mapped host without leaking across unrelated sites.
- Cache separation: request equivalent paths on two mapped domains and confirm that one site’s HTML is never served for the other site.
Cookie and login problems
Authentication cookies are scoped to hosts and, in some deployments, to a configured cookie domain. If the front end works but users are repeatedly logged out, the browser may be receiving a cookie for the wrong host or a proxy may be rewriting headers.
After confirming the deployment’s cookie requirements, the official domain-mapping guidance documents this troubleshooting setting:
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define( 'COOKIE_DOMAIN', $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] );Apply it only when your architecture requires host-specific cookies and after checking for conflicting cookie constants, proxy behavior and HTTPS termination. A blanket cookie change can affect every site in the network, so test administrator login, logout and cross-site behavior after adding it. Remove the setting if it does not solve the actual scope problem.
Common failures and targeted fixes
| Symptom | Likely boundary | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The domain shows a parking page or another application. | DNS or virtual-host routing. | Confirm the DNS answer, then verify that the hostname is an alias for the WordPress document root rather than a separate directory. |
| The browser reports that the site cannot be reached. | DNS, firewall or listener configuration. | Check that the record resolves to the correct server and that the server listens for the hostname on the required ports. |
| Every WordPress path returns 404 after the home page loads. | Rewrite or front-controller configuration. | Enable the network’s rewrite rules and confirm the web server passes requests to WordPress. |
| The site redirects endlessly between HTTP, HTTPS or two hostnames. | Competing canonical redirects. | Choose one canonical scheme and host, then inspect web-server, proxy and WordPress redirects for opposing rules. |
| The certificate is valid for the network domain but not the mapped domain. | Certificate coverage or SNI selection. | Issue or install a certificate containing the mapped hostname and verify that the correct HTTPS virtual host is selected. |
| Pages load, but media or canonical links use the old address. | Stored URLs, generated settings or cache. | Inspect the subsite URL, clear caches and review the affected content or plugin settings without performing an indiscriminate database replacement. |
| Users cannot stay logged in. | Cookie scope, HTTPS termination or proxy headers. | Inspect the browser’s cookie domain and secure flag, verify forwarded scheme headers, and use the host-specific cookie setting only when appropriate. |
| One domain displays another subsite’s cached page. | Cache key does not include the host. | Configure the page cache or CDN to vary by hostname and purge entries created before the mapping. |
| The editor or REST request fails while normal pages work. | Host, scheme, permissions or proxy routing. | Open the failing endpoint directly, inspect its response host and scheme, and ensure the server routes API requests to the same installation. |
Domain-based versus path-based networks in practice
A domain-based network makes hostname routing part of the design from the start. Wildcard DNS can simplify adding subdomains, but it also increases the importance of documenting exceptions and ensuring that every wildcard-captured hostname is intended to reach WordPress.
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Use these decision questions before creating additional sites:
- Do most sites need independent public domains, or would a branded path meet the requirement?
- Can your team automate DNS records, certificate issuance and renewal?
- Does your hosting plan let you add aliases or virtual hosts that share one document root?
- Will administrators use one login across hosts, or do cookie and privacy boundaries require stricter separation?
- Can your cache, CDN, monitoring and backup systems distinguish every hostname?
- Will a future staging or migration process preserve the network’s original domain and routing?
Operating a network with many domains
Keep an authoritative domain register
Record each subsite’s database identifier, current public URL, DNS owner, server alias, certificate name, canonical redirect and cache configuration. Include renewal dates and the person or system responsible for each dependency. This register is more useful than relying on memory when a domain expires or a certificate is replaced.
Coordinate renewals and redirects
Certificate renewal, DNS changes and HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects should be tested together. A certificate can renew successfully while a redirect still points at an old host, and a DNS change can direct validation traffic to a server that does not know the domain.
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Backups must cover the network database, uploaded files, themes, plugins, configuration and the web-server or hosting-panel routing. A single-site backup that omits network settings will not fully restore a mapped Multisite installation.
Plan migrations deliberately
Moving Multisite is more complicated than moving a single WordPress site because the primary network domain, subsite URLs, domain mappings, DNS, certificates and server aliases all interact. Preserve the original network domain and routing configuration in your migration plan. Lower DNS time-to-live ahead of a planned move, prepare the destination before switching records, and test every mapped host before declaring the migration complete.
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When an additional plugin is justified
Core mapping is the appropriate starting point for ordinary domain-to-subsite assignments. A plugin may be useful when you need alias domains, microsite-specific behavior or a legacy workflow that is not provided by core.
The WordPress.org Domain Mapping System listing describes Multisite support and multiple-domain mapping, but its integration requires a custom sunrise.php. Treat that as an advanced or legacy path: verify compatibility with the current WordPress version, the web server, your cache layer and your login configuration before deploying it. Adding a plugin does not remove the DNS, server-routing or certificate requirements.
Security and isolation considerations
Mapped domains share the network’s WordPress code and, depending on roles and configuration, may share users and administrative capabilities. Give each domain only the themes, plugins and users it needs, and remember that a vulnerability in a network-wide component can affect every mapped site.
Use HTTPS for administration and front-end traffic, restrict network administration to trusted accounts, and monitor certificate warnings, unexpected hostnames and redirect changes. Test host-specific cache behavior after plugin or proxy changes because serving one site’s authenticated or personalized response on another domain is a serious data exposure.
Answer to the three practical questions
Can WordPress Multisite use different top-level domains?
Yes. WordPress 4.5 and later support native domain mapping, allowing a subsite to use a different public top-level domain while remaining in the same network.
Do you need a domain-mapping plugin?
Not for ordinary mappings handled by current WordPress core. Consider an additional plugin only for specialized alias or microsite requirements, and verify its integration before use.
How do DNS and SSL fit into the setup?
DNS must resolve each domain to the server, the server must route each hostname to the WordPress installation, and every mapped hostname must have valid HTTPS coverage. Saving a new URL in Network Admin without those three pieces cannot make the domain work.
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