Question

Can anyone advise if there is any technical difference between using subdomain or subdirectory for website using .net? and which is the better option to take?

From what i researched so far, it boils down to below:
But will appreciate further clarifications on this:

Subdomain:
– Need to apply SSL for the subdomain (can use wildcared certs for *.abc.com, but it will be expensive)
– The base URL can simply use / in coding
– need DNS of hosts-file entries and webserver configuration

Subdirectory:
– With subdirectories you could drop the app in a directory, and go

Please kindly advise thanks 🙂

Answer 1

You pretty much answer the question your self, I’d like to add:

• You can easily run sub domains on a different IP/server which can be a benefit in some cases, maybe instead of a real load balancer.
• Configuration files such as web.config and cross domain files are shared by the sub directories by default. It can both make configuration easier, but also more complex depending on the use case.
• There might be a benefit in a sub directory approach when it comes to search engine optimization, where the rank is retained for the sub directories but not for the sub domains, but there doesn’t seem to be consensus on the subject.