Title: Domains
Author: WordPress VIP Documentation
Published: October 1, 2020
Last modified: October 16, 2025

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#  Domains

When a new environment is created it is provisioned with a [convenience domain](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/convenience-domains/)
by default. The convenience domain can be replaced with a custom domain.

Customers can use any provider—including [WordPress.com](https://wordpress.com/support/domains/register-a-domain-without-creating-a-site/)—
for custom domain registration and DNS management. WordPress VIP does not provide
domain registration or DNS management services.

Custom domains must be added to [the “**Domains & TLS**” panel](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/map-a-domain/)
of an environment and [the domain must be verified](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/verification/)
in order to be used for site launches or sending emails.

After adding and verifying a custom domain, the necessary settings for [pointing the domain’s DNS to VIP](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/point-dns-to-vip/)
can be retrieved from the VIP Dashboard.

All domains must have a [TLS certificate](https://docs.wpvip.com/tls/) installed
in order to be assigned to the Site Address (URL) of a site receiving traffic.

 * 
   ### 󠀁[Default behavior of domains](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/default-behavior/)󠁿
   
 * The default behavior of domains that are added to the “Domains & TLS” panel of
   an environment’s VIP Dashboard is dependent on whether the www variant or the
   non-www variant is added.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Add a domain](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/map-a-domain/)󠁿
   
 * Custom domains must be added to an environment’s VIP Dashboard in order to launch
   a site or send emails from an environment with that domain.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Verify a domain](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/verification/)󠁿
   
 * After a custom domain has been added to the VIP Dashboard for an environment,
   it must be verified before DNS instructions can be accessed and before a Let’s
   Encrypt certificate can be installed.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Point DNS for a domain to VIP](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/point-dns-to-vip/)󠁿
   
 * Once a site is ready to launch, the DNS for a site’s new domain must be updated
   with the DNS provider and pointed at VIP for the site to be publicly available
   at that domain.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Primary domain](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/primary-domain/)󠁿
   
 * Multiple domains can point to a VIP platform environment, but only one domain
   can be the primary domain.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Convenience domain](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/convenience-domains/)󠁿
   
 * New environments on the VIP Platform are provisioned with a convenience domain(
   e.g. example.go-vip.net).
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Fully qualified domain names (FQDN)](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/fqdn/)󠁿
   
 * The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for a site on the VIP Platform can be 
   either the www or non-www variant of the domain.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Check DNS record time to live (TTL)](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/check-dns-record-time-to-live/)󠁿
   
 * These instructions will demonstrate how to determine a DNS record’s Time to Live
   using common command line tools.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Modify a hosts file](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/managing-your-hosts-file/)󠁿
   
 * Modifying a hosts file allows a site to be tested with a new custom domain before
   the domain’s DNS has been pointed to VIP, or until the global DNS system has 
   been updated for a domain.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[DNS records to send email from a custom domain](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/dns-records-for-email/)󠁿
   
 * By default, transactional emails (e.g., password resets, user registration notifications)
   are sent from the default email address donotreply@wpvip.com, but this can be
   overridden.
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Configure multiple domains to resolve to the same network site](https://docs.wpvip.com/domains/multiple-domains/)󠁿
   
 * Custom code added to client-sunrise.php can enable a network site to be accessible
   from more than one URL, or for a domain to serve a specific part of a site.

Last updated: October 16, 2025