Can I run a second wordpress site as a subdomain without using multisite?

I have an two wordpress sites that I would like to host on the same domain. One is already up and running, the other is sitting in waiting.

Can I get the second as a subdomain, or simple within a folder, to run on the same domain (different DB) without converting to multisite?

Answers:

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Method 1

Point the subdomain to the same directory as the main site, and define different settings in your wp-config.php per $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']:

Example from my local setup:

switch ( $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] )
{
    case 'zzl.dev':
        $table_prefix = 'zzl_';
        $table_name   = 'zzl';
        break;

    case 'wpbuch.dev':
        $table_prefix = 'wpbuch_';
        $table_name   = 'wpbuch';
        break;

    default:
        $table_prefix  = 'wp_';
        $table_name   = 'wpdev';
        break;
}

$sub                 = '/wp-content/' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
const WP_CONTENT_DIR = __DIR__ . $sub;
const WP_CONTENT_URL = 'http://' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] . $sub;
const DB_NAME        = $table_name;

You can change much more variables in the switch: all DB_* definitions, WP_PLUGIN_DIR and WP_PLUGIN_URL (to share the plugin list between different sites), WPLANG and so on.

Method 2

As addition to @toscho’s excellent answer, I will add several things…

======== Safety ========

Always be careful with safety. If you try to use any test site in this manner (with many sites paralelly) and on that test site you’ll install any crappy/suspicious plugin, which might infect whole WP-Core, then all your other sites will be under risk (although,that risk similarly exists even while you use completely separated installations). This is just a small thing, however, dont worry much about it (because worrying wont help at all).

======== Needed steps to setup on Localhost =======

To point subdomain to main WP-INSTALLATION (while just using special wp-config.php), you need to set-up Alias commands in webserver.

1) Go to ..wampbinapacheapache2.4.9confhttpd.conf and uncomment this line: Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

2) in extra/httpd-vhosts.conf add (just modify to your specifics. In the below example, I use already setup domain name localhost… however, you can add anything)

<VirtualHost *:80>
                    #UNCOMMENT_THIS_LINE_ONLY_WHEN_YOU_NEED_SUBFOLDER_TOO#  Alias /subdirectory_name    C:wampwwwwp_installation_folder
    ServerName localhost
    ServerAlias subdomain.localhost
    ServerAdmin <a href="https://getridbug.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="423527202f233136273002273a232f322e276c212d2f">[email protected]</a>
    DocumentRoot "C:wampwwwwp_installation_folder"
    ErrorLog "logs/4-error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/4-access.log" common
</VirtualHost>

3) [You dont need to do this step if you use localhost name] In case you with to use you anything other than localhost, then you should point that name in C:Windowssystem32driversetchosts, like:127.0.0.1 myexample.org`

Restart WampServer and that’s all

All methods was sourced from stackoverflow.com or stackexchange.com, is licensed under cc by-sa 2.5, cc by-sa 3.0 and cc by-sa 4.0