What is a subdomain?
A subdomain is the extra part before the main domain name.
For Saxon, the main domain is saxobroko.com. Everything like something.saxobroko.com is a subdomain.
Splitting a name
Take docs.saxobroko.com:
| Part | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| docs | Subdomain | Which service — documentation |
| saxobroko | Domain label | Saxon's chosen name |
| com | Top-level domain | Commercial / general (.com) |
Same pattern:
- vault.saxobroko.com → password vault
- stream.saxobroko.com → Jellyfin video
- music.saxobroko.com → Navidrome
- dash.saxobroko.com → homepage dashboard
Why Saxon used many subdomains
| Reason | Example |
|---|---|
| One app per address | Easier to bookmark and secure |
| Different login rules | docs uses Cloudflare Access; vault uses Vaultwarden |
| Security | Cloudflare can block non-Australian visitors on homelab hosts |
| Organisation | Ryan sees clearly what each link does |
Full list: All important URLs.
Subdomain vs folder
| Address style | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subdomain | stream.saxobroko.com |
Saxon's usual pattern |
| Folder | saxobroko.com/stream |
Saxon did not use this for homelab |
Public vs homelab subdomains
| Type | Examples | Who can reach |
|---|---|---|
| Public | saxobroko.com, blog, status, share | Worldwide |
| Homelab | vault, stream, dsm, sonarr | Mostly Australia + login |
| Protected docs | docs | Login via Cloudflare Access |
See Public sites.
How subdomains get created (concept only)
- Saxon adds a DNS record in Cloudflare for the new name.
- He points it to Pages (docs) or Tunnel (home server).
- The new URL works worldwide (subject to security rules).
Ryan does not need to do this unless adding services — see Network doc.
Legacy name dsm
dsm meant Synology DiskStation Manager. TrueNAS replaced Synology but Saxon kept the dsm subdomain for convenience.
If this goes wrong
You typed saxobroko.com/docs and nothing loads
- Homelab uses subdomains, not
/docs. Use docs.saxobroko.com.
New subdomain shows error 525 / SSL
- Cloudflare certificate or tunnel config issue — technical fix in Cloudflare docs.
Forgot which subdomain does what