Wildcard domains and wildcard SSL certificates

Wildcard domains and wildcard SSL certificates

A wildcard domain means any subdomain of your domain (*.yourdomain.com) resolves to the same place, without adding a DNS record for each subdomain individually. Two separate things are involved: a wildcard DNS record and a wildcard SSL certificate.

Wildcard DNS

There is no standalone "Wildcard Enabled" toggle in the panel – the wildcard DNS record is created and removed automatically based on the subdomain mode you choose on the Domains & SSL tab, in Subdomain Configuration:

• Serve All to Main, Redirect All to Main, Folder Based and Mixed modes automatically create a wildcard DNS A record (*.yourdomain.com).
• Disabled and Manual modes remove it if it existed.

The current state is shown in the read-only Wildcard DNS Status badge above the list of modes – it's informational only, you don't set anything there directly. See subdomain settings for details on each mode.

Wildcard SSL certificate

For subdomains to load over HTTPS without a browser warning you need a separate wildcard certificate (a regular Let's Encrypt certificate only covers the exact domain names it lists, not *.yourdomain.com). Request one on the Domains & SSL tab via the Request Certificate button:

1. In the dialog, switch the mode to Wildcard (DNS-01).
2. Pick your domain in the Base domain field – the certificate will cover *.chosendomain.
3. Confirm with Request Certificate.

Validation uses the DNS-01 method, which requires the domain to use CloudWeb's nameservers. If the domain points to different (external) nameservers, the request is rejected with a notice that the domain's authoritative nameservers don't point to ours – switch them first. The certificate is free and renews automatically.