Understanding Subdomains in Azure for Nonprofits

At the heart of this post is Kairos IMS, an innovative Impact Management System designed to empower human-serving nonprofits and social impact organizations. Co-developed by the Urban League of Broward County and our trusted technology partner, Impactful, Kairos IMS reduces administrative burdens, enhances holistic care, and enables organizations to leverage data for increased agility and seamless service delivery. In this blog series, we’ll take a closer look at the powerful technologies that fuel Kairos IMS, from Azure services to security frameworks, offering insight into how modern infrastructure supports mission-driven impact. Click here  to learn more. 

Subdomains are an essential part of domain management, allowing organizations, including nonprofits, to create distinct sections within their primary domain. In Azure, subdomains can be used to organize and manage different services, applications, or departments within a larger domain. Let's explore what subdomains are, how they work in Azure, and their benefits for nonprofits.

What is a Subdomain?

A subdomain is a subset of a larger domain, created to organize and manage specific sections or services. For example, if a nonprofit owns the domain example.org, it can create subdomains like donate.example.org or events.example.org to separate different parts of its website or services. Subdomains help in structuring web content and services, making them easier to manage and navigate.

Creating Subdomains in Azure

Azure DNS allows nonprofits to create and manage subdomains within their primary domain. Here’s how you can set up a subdomain in Azure:

1. Delegate a Subdomain:
• Step 1: Ensure your parent domain is delegated to Azure DNS.
• Step 2: From the Azure portal, search for DNS zones and select your parent domain.

• • Step 3: Select "+ Child zone" and enter the name of your subdomain (e.g., volunteer.example.org).

• • Step 4: Configure the subscription and resource group, then create the DNS zone.

To Verify Domain setup:

To verify that your subdomain was successfully set up in Azure, follow either one of these steps:

1. Check DNS Records

• NSLookup: Use the NSLookup tool to verify DNS resolution.
  • Open a command prompt.
  • Type nslookup subdomain.example.com.
  • You should receive a non-authoritative answer showing the IP address or nameserver entries for the subdomain.

2. Ping the Subdomain

• Ping: Use the ping command to check if the subdomain is reachable.
  • Open a command prompt.
  • Type ping subdomain.example.com.
  • You should see replies from the server, indicating that the subdomain is reachable.

3. Test Web Services

• Web Browser: Open a web browser and navigate to http://subdomain.example.com.
  • If the subdomain is set up correctly, you should see the web page or service hosted on the subdomain.

4. Verify in Azure Portal

• DNS Zone: Go to the Azure portal and navigate to your DNS zone.
  • Check the DNS records for the subdomain to ensure they are correctly configured.
  • Verify that the NS records for the subdomain are present and correctly pointing to the Azure DNS nameservers.

Benefits of Using Subdomains in Azure for Nonprofits

1. Organizational Structure:
   • Subdomains help nonprofits organize different sections or services within a larger domain. This is particularly useful for managing various programs, events, and donation platforms.
2. Improved Management:
   • Each subdomain can be managed separately, allowing for more granular control over DNS settings and configurations.
3. Enhanced Security
   • By isolating different services within subdomains, nonprofits can implement specific security measures tailored to each subdomain, enhancing overall security.
4. Scalability:
   • Subdomains allow for scalable management of web services and applications. As the nonprofit grows, it can easily add new subdomains to accommodate new services or initiatives.

Use Cases for Subdomains in Azure for Nonprofits

1. Program-Specific Websites:
• Nonprofits can create subdomains for different programs (e.g., education.example.org, healthcare.example.org) to manage program-specific websites separately.
2. Event Management:
• Different events can be hosted on separate subdomains (e.g., fundraiser.example.org, conference.example.org) to streamline management and improve user experience.
3. Volunteer Coordination:
• In multitenant environments, each volunteer group can be assigned a unique subdomain under a common shared domain name, facilitating better management and communication.

Conclusion

Subdomains in Azure provide a flexible and efficient way for nonprofits to organize and manage different sections of their domain. Whether you're looking to segment services, enhance security, or improve scalability, Azure DNS makes it easy to create and manage subdomains. By leveraging subdomains, nonprofits can ensure better structure, management, and performance of their web services and applications.