Add the Account Domain in DirectAdmin

Purpose

This post covers the first and most foundational step in domain onboarding: creating the account domain in DirectAdmin.

The account domain is the first domain added to a DirectAdmin VPS. It is unique per VPS and establishes the baseline object that all downstream systems reference, including DNS, SSL, mail, and PHP.

This is a one‑time operation per VPS. All additional domains added later reuse the foundation established here.

Scope and Applicability

• Applies to the Account Domain only
• Performed one time per VPS

Prerequisites

• DirectAdmin is installed and accessible
• Platform Readiness is complete
• System packages and CustomBuild updates are current
• A backup exists prior to making domain‑level changes

If updates are required, complete them before continuing:

• Applying DirectAdmin System Packages Updates
• Applying DirectAdmin CustomBuild Updates

Create the Account Domain

1. Log in to DirectAdmin as the admin user.
2. From the Admin dashboard, go to top far right & tap “No domain”, followed by <Create>
3. Enter the domain name that will serve as the account domain for this VPS.
4. Leave all default options enabled but, review them in case something doesn’t apply to you.
5. Click Create to create the domain.
6. Click Close after reviewing.

Once submitted, DirectAdmin creates the domain object and makes it available throughout the control panel.

Immediate Confirmation

Before proceeding, confirm the following:

• The domain appears in domain listings

No configuration changes are performed yet. At this stage, the goal is existence and visibility only.

Stop Point

Do not configure any of the following yet:

• PHP settings
• DNS records
• SSL certificates
• Mail services or authentication

The account domain must exist before those steps can be performed safely and predictably.

Proceed to the next post to apply required PHP and DirectAdmin user defaults now that the domain exists.