I was curious to know if offering someone 1000+ sub domains would cause a strain on the server or anything. Thanks :)

A sub domain is no different from a domain to the server load so if you would not offer 1000+ domains then why would you offer 1000+ subdomains?

Yes but wouldnt a sub domains within 1 account that has storage and bandwidth limits matter? Basically I am asking if too many subdomains could cause some type of error or anything. If not then that answers my question :)

it could

1) increase memory usage for http, smtp, and dns daemon
2) lengthen startup/restart time for the above mentioned daemons

that's all, i don't see any errors will occur with (just) too many subdomains on a server

First you ask if 1000+ sub-domains would cause a strain on the server.

Answer: Yes, unless that is the only account on the Server. Even then there could be lots of Server strain.


Then you ask if too many subdomains could cause some type of error or anything.

Answer: It's quite possible.


Each Domain name, or Sub-domain, or Parked, or Add-on Domain, needs to be entered in various Server files. Then there are the eMail addresses, mySQL dbs and other assorted features that go with them. This all adds to the complexity of running a Server and potential problems as the number of accounts and/or account activity increases.

Example: A Server with just 10 Domains that each have 1,000 available sub-domains within them equals a potential of 10,000 entries in various Server files. Way too much for any Server to handle.

And, if perchance you're thinking you can move the accounts around to another Server, just one Domain using 500 of their 1,000 sub-domains, is going to take a long time to transfer anywhere. No matter how small the size of the files within any of them.

Thanks that is what I was asking :)

Just offering somebody 1000+ subdomains doesn't mean the customer will use them all. I know that some hosts even allow unlimited subdomains as it look good on advertising page, yet most customers won't use more than 5.

It's however important to mention in TOS that the account, unless it's a reseller one, is for use by single person only. It's allways a good idea though, as this means less potential problems because 20+ folks use a single account and btw using as much resources as possible.

If you asking me I wouldn't provide unlimited or even 1000 subdomains as standard. Instead offering 3-5 subdomains according to the size of the account and providing more for a small fee seems to be a better idea. The same goes for other resources as well - give 1 MySQL DB and ask a fee for additional ones.

Giving anything unlimited can be abused and may make people to forget that they buy a shared hosting and they don't have the whole server just to themselves.

Originally posted by secureserver
Just offering somebody 1000+ subdomains doesn't mean the customer will use them all. I know that some hosts even allow unlimited subdomains as it look good on advertising page, yet most customers won't use more than 5.
Best practice is to not sell what you cannot provide.

And stating something on a main or description page then hiding contradictory conditions in a TOS, something Hosters offering 'unlimited' anything love to do, does nobody any good.

The point you make on offering specific amount of features within specific packages, is something all Hosts should follow.