adding a new project subdomain

prerequisites

vps ip: 145.223.99.106
domain: codelabhaven.com
ssh access to vps
access to hostinger dns management

step 1: choose your subdomain name

decide on your subdomain name. examples:

my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
app-name.codelabhaven.com
tool-name.codelabhaven.com

use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only. no underscores or special characters.

step 2: add dns a record in hostinger

log in to hostinger
- go to your hostinger account
- navigate to dns management for codelabhaven.com
add a record:
- type: A
- name: my-new-project (your subdomain name without .codelabhaven.com)
- points to: 145.223.99.106
- ttl: automatic (or 14400)
save the dns record
wait for dns propagation (5-30 minutes, sometimes up to 48 hours)

verify dns propagation:

on your local machine:

nslookup my-new-project.codelabhaven.com

on your vps:

nslookup my-new-project.codelabhaven.com

online check:

visit dnschecker.org
enter: my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
select: A record
verify it shows 145.223.99.106 globally

do not proceed until dns has propagated!

step 3: ssh into your vps

ssh root@145.223.99.106

enter your ssh password when prompted.

step 4: locate your project directory

your project should already be deployed to:

/var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name/

verify the directory exists:

ls -la /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/

if your project isn't there yet, deploy it first using your normal deployment process.

step 5: create apache virtual host

replace my-new-project with your actual subdomain name, and your_project_name with your actual project directory name.

cat > /etc/apache2/sites-available/my-new-project.codelabhaven.com.conf <
    ServerName my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name
    
    
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    
    
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/my-new-project-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/my-new-project-access.log combined

EOF

replace: my-new-project.codelabhaven.com → your actual subdomain, your_project_name → your actual project directory name (e.g., my_new_project)

step 6: enable the virtual host

a2ensite my-new-project.codelabhaven.com.conf

replace my-new-project.codelabhaven.com.conf with your actual filename.

step 7: test apache configuration

apache2ctl configtest

expected output: Syntax OK

if you see errors, fix them before proceeding.

step 8: restart apache

systemctl restart apache2

step 9: verify virtual host is active

apache2ctl -S

you should see your new virtual host listed in the output.

step 10: test http access

visit in your browser:

http://my-new-project.codelabhaven.com

expected: your project should load (without ssl, so browser will show "not secure")

if you get a 404 error:

check the documentroot path is correct
verify the project files exist in that directory
check file permissions: ls -la /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name

step 11: install certbot (if not already installed)

check if certbot is installed:

certbot --version

if not installed:

apt-get update
apt-get install -y certbot python3-certbot-apache

step 12: obtain ssl certificate

get ssl certificate for your new subdomain:

certbot --apache -d my-new-project.codelabhaven.com --non-interactive --agree-tos --email matej.resman@gmail.com --redirect

replace:

my-new-project.codelabhaven.com → your actual subdomain
matej.resman@gmail.com → your email address

what this does:

obtains ssl certificate from let's encrypt
automatically configures apache for https
sets up http → https redirect
configures automatic certificate renewal

step 13: verify ssl certificate

check certificate status:

certbot certificates

you should see your new subdomain listed.

test https in browser:

visit:

https://my-new-project.codelabhaven.com

expected:

✓ green padlock icon (valid ssl certificate)
✓ url shows https:// (not http://)
✓ no security warnings

test http redirect:

visit:

http://my-new-project.codelabhaven.com

expected: automatically redirects to https://my-new-project.codelabhaven.com

step 14: update php session cookie domain (if php project)

only needed if your project uses php and sessions.

find php files with session configuration:

common locations:

api/auth.php
api/config.php
includes/session.php
any file that calls session_set_cookie_params()

update session cookie domain:

edit the file(s):

nano /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name/api/auth.php

find this code:

session_set_cookie_params([
    'lifetime' => 1209600,
    'path' => '/',
    'domain' => '',  // ← This line
    'secure' => isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']),
    'httponly' => true,
    'samesite' => 'Lax'
]);

change to:

session_set_cookie_params([
    'lifetime' => 1209600,
    'path' => '/',
    'domain' => '.codelabhaven.com',  // ← Add leading dot
    'secure' => isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']),
    'httponly' => true,
    'samesite' => 'Lax'
]);

save and exit: ctrl+o, enter, ctrl+x

repeat for all php files that set session cookies.

why the leading dot?

the leading dot (.codelabhaven.com) makes the cookie work across:

codelabhaven.com
my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
movie-night.codelabhaven.com
all other subdomains

without the dot, cookies only work for the exact domain.

step 15: test everything

final checklist:

[ ] dns resolves correctly: nslookup my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
[ ] http works: http://my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
[ ] https works: https://my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
[ ] http redirects to https
[ ] ssl certificate is valid (green padlock)
[ ] project loads correctly
[ ] login/sessions work (if php project)
[ ] no errors in browser console
[ ] no 404 or 500 errors

check apache logs (if issues):

tail -f /var/log/apache2/my-new-project-error.log
tail -f /var/log/apache2/my-new-project-access.log

quick reference commands

for future reference, here's the complete command sequence:

# 1. SSH into VPS
ssh root@145.223.99.106

# 2. Create virtual host (replace placeholders)
cat > /etc/apache2/sites-available/my-new-project.codelabhaven.com.conf <
    ServerName my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name
    
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/my-new-project-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/my-new-project-access.log combined

EOF

# 3. Enable site
a2ensite my-new-project.codelabhaven.com.conf

# 4. Test and restart
apache2ctl configtest
systemctl restart apache2

# 5. Get SSL certificate
certbot --apache -d my-new-project.codelabhaven.com --non-interactive --agree-tos --email matej.resman@gmail.com --redirect

# 6. Verify
certbot certificates
apache2ctl -S

troubleshooting

dns not resolving

problem: nslookup shows no results or wrong ip

solutions:

wait longer (dns can take up to 48 hours)
double-check dns record in hostinger
verify a record points to 145.223.99.106
check ttl value (lower = faster propagation)

apache won't start

problem: systemctl restart apache2 fails

solutions:

# Check configuration
apache2ctl configtest

# Check error log
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

# Common issues:
# - Syntax error in virtual host file
# - Port 80 already in use
# - Missing directory

404 error on subdomain

problem: subdomain loads but shows 404

solutions:

# Verify DocumentRoot exists
ls -la /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name

# Check file permissions
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name

# Verify index file exists
ls -la /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name/index.html
# or
ls -la /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name/index.php

ssl certificate failed

problem: certbot fails to obtain certificate

solutions:

ensure dns has fully propagated (wait 30+ minutes)
verify apache is running: systemctl status apache2
check virtual host is enabled: apache2ctl -S
verify firewall allows ports 80 and 443:
ufw status # If needed: ufw allow 80/tcp ufw allow 443/tcp
check apache error log: tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

sessions not working (php)

problem: login doesn't persist or sessions reset

solutions:

verify session cookie domain is .codelabhaven.com (with leading dot)
clear browser cookies and try again
check secure flag matches https usage
verify session save path is writable:
ls -la /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name/sessions chmod 755 /var/www/html/codelabhaven/projects/your_project_name/sessions

certificate expired

problem: browser shows certificate error

solutions:

# Check certificate expiration
certbot certificates

# Manually renew
certbot renew

# Reload Apache
systemctl reload apache2

certbot should auto-renew, but you can check the timer:

systemctl status certbot.timer

summary

after completing these steps, your new project will be:

✓ accessible via https://my-new-project.codelabhaven.com
✓ automatically redirecting http to https
✓ using a valid ssl certificate
✓ auto-renewing ssl certificate
✓ working with sessions (if php project configured)

time required: ~15-30 minutes (mostly waiting for dns propagation)

you're done! 🎉

configure project name

adding a new project subdomain

prerequisites

step 1: choose your subdomain name

step 2: add dns a record in hostinger

verify dns propagation:

step 3: ssh into your vps

step 4: locate your project directory

step 5: create apache virtual host

step 6: enable the virtual host

step 7: test apache configuration

step 8: restart apache

step 9: verify virtual host is active

step 10: test http access

step 11: install certbot (if not already installed)

step 12: obtain ssl certificate

step 13: verify ssl certificate

step 14: update php session cookie domain (if php project)

step 15: test everything

quick reference commands

troubleshooting

dns not resolving

apache won't start

404 error on subdomain

ssl certificate failed

sessions not working (php)

certificate expired

summary