[DEV]

Quick answer
In aaPanel Free Edition, open Website > Add site, enter your domain names one per line, check the website directory and PHP version, then Confirm. Point those domains to the VPS first. Verify the default website page before uploading your application.

Before you start

• aaPanel Free Edition installed and accessible.
  
• A running web server. This lab uses Nginx.
  
• An installed PHP version if your application needs PHP. This example selects PHP 8.4; use a version your application supports.
  
• DNS A records for the hostnames you want to use, pointing to the VPS IPv4 address.
  
• Port 80 reachable for the initial HTTP test, and port 443 for HTTPS later.
  

Our lab domain is adminslab.com. Its root and www DNS records point to the lab VPS and are DNS only during initial setup.
Set up the domain in Cloudflare first.

1. Open Add site
Sign in to aaPanel, select Website from the left menu, and click Add site under PHP Project. Use the Create site tab.

2. Enter your domains
Enter each hostname on its own line, without https:// or a directory path:

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adminslab.com www.adminslab.com

Use your own domain. Adding www in DNS alone is not enough: include it in the website's domain list too.

3. Check the directory and PHP version
The website path in this example is:

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/www/wwwroot/adminslab.com

Keep a separate directory for each website. Check the automatically generated path before creating the site. We used the description AdminsForum Tutorial Lab so the test site is easy to identify.
Select the PHP version your intended application supports. Our installed option appears as PHP-84, meaning PHP 8.4.



4. Choose the remaining options

• FTP: Not create. We will cover file access separately; a website does not require an FTP account to exist.
  
• Database: Not create. We will create a database and application user in a separate guide. A static page does not require one.
  
• Apply for SSL: unchecked for this step. This walkthrough first verifies HTTP. A separate tutorial will issue the website certificate. Keep private data and login forms off the site until HTTPS is configured.
  
• Create html file: enabled. This generates the default page for our first connection test.
  

Click Confirm once and wait for aaPanel to finish creating the site.

5. Verify the site
The Website list should now contain your domain, its description, and the selected PHP version. Our row shows adminslab.com, AdminsForum Tutorial Lab and 8.4. SSL shows Not Set at this stage, which is expected for this HTTP-only test.
Open both hostnames using HTTP:

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http://adminslab.com http://www.adminslab.com

They should display the default website page. In our lab, both URLs returned HTTP 200 after creation. This verifies that DNS and the web server can serve the site; it does not yet verify a PHP application, database connection or HTTPS certificate.

Troubleshooting
Domain does not resolve: Check the A record and nameserver activation. Allow cached DNS answers to expire.
Wrong website appears: Check that the hostname is included in this site's domain list and points to this VPS.
Connection times out: Check the web server and the server/provider firewall for port 80.
SSL error on HTTPS: We have not issued the website certificate in this guide. Complete the SSL tutorial before using HTTPS for the application.
PHP application fails: Check application compatibility and required PHP extensions; a successful default HTML page alone does not prove PHP is working.

Related guides
aaPanel Free Edition website hosting requirements
Install PHP 8.4 in aaPanel Free Edition

Tested: 10 October 2026, aaPanel Free Edition 8.0.6 on Ubuntu 22.04, Nginx and PHP 8.4. Original AdminsForum lab screenshot. Database creation and website SSL will be separate guides.