Custom VHOSTs

Virtual Host (VHOST) Configuration

Virtual Hosts (VHOSTs) are a way of supporting many websites using a single pool of web servers. Each project on SourceForge.net is allocated on the PROJECTNAME.sourceforge.io VHOST for their Project Web site.

Some projects elect to register a vanity domain (such as PROJECTNAME.com). Through our Custom VHOST service, project administrators may configure our servers to answer traffic for those domains.

Note: The VHOST facility is not available for the Developer web space.

Step 1: Register the domain

Domain name registration is not typically free; there is an initial cost that registers the domain name for some period of time, then ongoing renewal fees to keep the domain registered. You are responsible for these fees.

To register a domain, you should contact an ICANN-accredited domain registrar.

If you eventually decide to let your domain lapse, remember to update any links (to avoid the risk of someone else, like a porn website, registering that domain and surprising your users when they try to access information about your project.

Step 2: Configure DNS for your domain

To have your domain point at some server that answers the traffic, you need to configure DNS (Domain Name Service) for the domain.

SourceForge.net does not provide DNS services. Many domain registrars provide DNS services on a for-pay basis. Your DNS provider will supply documentation on how to use their service. You are responsible for any fees if you choose a for-pay DNS service.

When configuring the DNS you have a choice between:

	Legacy Pool	Modern Pool
URL	PROJECTNAME.sourceforge.net	PROJECTNAME.sourceforge.io
Services	PHP 5.4	PHP 7+
DNS	vhost.sourceforge.net (204.68.111.100 )	vhost2.sourceforge.net (204.68.111.101 )

Using the tools provided by your DNS provider, configure the following (in this example we've chosen to use the default pool):

yourdomain.com IN A to 204.68.111.100.
www.yourdomain.com CNAME to vhost.sourceforge.net.

Please note that DNS does not allow you to use a CNAME at the "apex" (top-most) name in your domain, though some DNS providers support a record that allows you to map a hostname to an IP, such as using an "alias" or an "ANAME" record instead.

Step 3: Have us answer your traffic

SourceForge.net servers will not properly route the traffic for your domain until you configure your project's custom VHOSTs. Custom VHOSTs are managed through a self-service tool, which may be accessed as follows:

• Login to SourceForge.net as a project administrator
• Go to the Admin page for your project
• Select "VHost DNS" in the left sidebar.
• Upload your content to your webspace (you may see 404 errors otherwise)
• Records need to be added for each of the hostnames you want our servers to answer. If you want our servers to answer for mydomain.org and www.mydomain.org, you need to add these two records separately.

VHOST additions typically become active within 5 minutes.

We currently limit the number of custom VHOSTs to ten.