Do the sites need to use SSL? If so, you may need to buy a separate SSL certificate for each subdomain. Alternatively, you could buy a wildcard certificate that will work with *. farmtowork.org, but it will be expensive.
On Thu, Dec 6, 2012 at 12:06 PM, Ryan Joy <[email protected]> wrote: > For your case, subdomains seem preferable. Keep in mind you can also do > 301-redirect for things like http://farmtowork.org/austin/ to > http://austin.farmtowork.org/. > > Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but you shouldn’t need to point any one > subdomain to specific folder. Each entry can still hit the application > server and serve the appropriate content based on the host. If you’re using > a framework (for instance, Django supports multiple “sites” from the same > admin interface), it may be trivially easy to support this. > > - Sent from my Surface. Develop an app for it! > http://rj.cx/app_in_30_days > > *From:* Eric Leversen <[email protected]> > *Sent:* December 6, 2012 11:56 AM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* [Refresh Austin: 6757] Pros/cons of using subdomains vs. > subdirectories > > I have a question about the pros/cons of using subdomains vs > subdirectories. > > IE: > http://austin.farmtowork.org/ > vs. > http://farmtowork.org/austin/ > > > A google search shows a lot from an SEO point of view (which we don't care > about) but not much from a technical standpoint. One good post I did find > is: > > http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1965609/subdomain-vs-subdirectory-in-web-programming > > > Our site will use the same code base for all cities with some > customization added for each like contact info, icons, etc. The > customization info will be stored in a database. We're not sure if there > will be one database for the entire project, or individual ones for each > city. We are leaning towards the former for keeping maintenance, backups, > etc. simple. > > One reason we're considering using subdomains is that within each city > there will be organizations and locations that are subdirectories. It seems > to me that using subdomains would make it simpler/clearer. > IE: > http://austin.farmtowork.org/UTexas/north_campus/ > http://austin.farmtowork.org/UTexas/south_campus/ > and > http://houston.farmtowork.org/Rice/main_campus/ > http://houston.farmtowork.org/Rice/downtown_campus/ > > > > From reading the stackoverflow post, our first thought is to create > subdomains and have them point to specific folder in the web root. This > would allow us to use one host server and database (a benefit of > subdirectories) while giving customers the appearance of their own special > site. > > > QUESTIONS: > -Any general thoughts on what I've written above? > -What URL/references on the topic do you suggest? > -What types of things should I consider when choosing between the two > options? > -Do SSL certificates cover subdomains? > -I'm guessing that it depends on web host to a certain degree, but do > subdomains share the same web root and database? Or are they separate? > -The stackoverflow post suggests that people will type in www in front of > a URL even if there's a subdomain, which would cause confusion. Any > thoughts? > > > Thanks in advance. > > > Regards, > > Eric Leversen > [email protected] > > > > > -- > Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Refresh Austin" group. > > [ Posting ] > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy > We do not accept job posts from recruiters. > > [ Unsubscribe ] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > > [ More Info ] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin > > -- > Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Refresh Austin" group. > > [ Posting ] > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy > We do not accept job posts from recruiters. > > [ Unsubscribe ] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > > [ More Info ] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin > -- Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Refresh Austin" group. [ Posting ] To post to this group, send email to [email protected] Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy We do not accept job posts from recruiters. [ Unsubscribe ] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] [ More Info ] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin
