# Setting up Multiple Instances of Discourse as Subdomains
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [June 16, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627 "2017-06-16T17:05:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hugo\_Roger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Hugo_Roger)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/1 "2017-06-16T17:05:39Z")
Hi everyone,
I have a few questions and was wondering if you could help me clearing some doubts.
I have discourse set up under a main domain and not under a subdomain. I have recently changed my mind and instead of having my forum categories in one place, I would like to have them set up as subdomains, my questions are:
can I set up multiple instances of discourse under one domain? As in, Category of computer, nature, life and science. Can I set up four subdomains and one discourse instance in each subdomain? do I need to remove discourse from my main domain?
Also, is there a way to link users between more than on instance? As in, allow users to have rep and other things per site but be able to operate as a single sign on in all instances? Similar to how SE is steup? Is this something possible?
Best,
Roger
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### Author:  [@tophee](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tophee)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/2 "2017-06-16T17:40:40Z")
> [@Hugo\_Roger](#):
>
> instead of having my forum categories in one place, I would like to have them set up as subdomains
So you’re saying that you want to split up your forum into multiple, entirely separate fora? If so, I’d think twice (or three times). If you originally had planned to make it one forum with categories, I assume that those categories do have something in common (they’re different aspects of the same thing) and in that case it’s clear that it should be one forum.
> [@Hugo\_Roger](#):
>
> can I set up multiple instances of discourse under one domain?
Yes, it’s possible. For discourse it makes no difference whatsoever whether it is running under a domain or a subdomain or whether there are a million other discourse instances in other subdomains. Domains are just a way of creating a human-friendly way of identifying the server on which discourse is running.
> [@Hugo\_Roger](#):
>
> Also, is there a way to link users between more than on instance?
In principle, you could probably set up your instances as SSO clients of some SSO provider (or make one instance the SSO provider for the others), but as mentioned earlier, I think this will probably cause more problems than it solves.
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### Author:  [@Stranik](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stranik)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/3 "2017-06-16T17:50:37Z")
And what means can be made so that categories would be like subdomains?
For example:
`https://discourse.org/c/plugin -> https://plugin.discourse.org/`
nginx?
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### Author:  [@Hugo\_Roger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Hugo_Roger)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/4 "2017-06-16T17:56:00Z")
Thank you very much for your response!
> [@tophee](#):
>
> I assume that those categories do have something in common (they’re different aspects of the same thing) and in that case it’s clear that it should be one forum.
nope.. they re entirely different not related.. initially the idea was to set up set it up as subdomains.. but i tried with categories and it doesn’t look as good as i thought it would.
so yeh it would me..
[topic1.dicousrseforum.com](http://topic1.dicousrseforum.com)
[topic2.discouseforum.com](http://topic2.discouseforum.com)
[topic3.discourseforum.com](http://topic3.discourseforum.com)
so you agree there is no issue in doing that?
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### Author:  [@Hugo\_Roger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Hugo_Roger)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/5 "2017-06-16T17:56:39Z")
exactly. thts wht i mean
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### Author:  [@tophee](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tophee)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/6 "2017-06-16T18:15:36Z")
> [@Hugo\_Roger](#):
>
> they re entirely different not related
If they’re unrelated, why did you first plan to put them into the same forum and now want to connect them back together via SSO?
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### Author:  [@Hugo\_Roger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Hugo_Roger)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/7 "2017-06-16T19:09:32Z")
I am talking about connecting the users not the topics/categories..
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### Author:  [@Hugo\_Roger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Hugo_Roger)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/8 "2017-06-16T19:29:41Z")
have you ever done it?
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### Author:  [@Stranik](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stranik)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/9 "2017-06-16T20:09:53Z")
No. I ask in advance. Such an opportunity will probably be useful.
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2024, 12:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-multiple-instances-of-discourse-as-subdomains/64627/10 "2024-06-08T12:44:33Z")
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