> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tinykit.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Domain Routing
> Run multiple apps from a single tinykit instance
tinykit supports **domain-based routing**—point multiple domains to one server, and each domain serves a different app.
```
recipes.yourserver.com → Recipe app
blog.yourserver.com → Blog app
calculator.yourserver.com → Calculator app
crm.yourserver.com → CRM app
```
All apps share the same builder dashboard. One deployment, unlimited apps.
***
## How It Works
When a request arrives, tinykit:
1. Extracts the domain from the request
2. Looks up the project with that domain in Pocketbase
3. Serves the production HTML for that project
```
Request: recipes.yourserver.com/
│
▼
Domain lookup: "recipes.yourserver.com"
│
▼
Find project with matching domain
│
▼
Serve project as static file (compiled HTML)
```
***
## URL Structure
For any domain pointing to your tinykit server:
| URL | What It Shows |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `/` | Production app for this domain |
| `/tinykit` | Redirects to builder for this domain |
| `/tinykit/studio` | Builder for this domain's app |
| `/tinykit/dashboard` | List of ALL apps (same on every domain) |
| `/tinykit/studio?id=X` | Edit a specific app by ID |
The dashboard shows all apps regardless of which domain you access it from. Domains only affect which app is served at the root URL (`/`).
***
## Setting Up Multiple Domains
Deploy to Railway or your preferred host. Note your server's IP address or hostname.
Point your domains to your tinykit server:
```
recipes.yourserver.com A → 123.45.67.89
blog.yourserver.com A → 123.45.67.89
calculator.yourserver.com A → 123.45.67.89
```
Or use CNAME records if your host provides a hostname:
```
recipes.yourserver.com CNAME → your-app.railway.app
```
Visit each domain. If no app exists for that domain, you'll be redirected to create one:
```
Visit: recipes.yourserver.com
Redirect to: /tinykit/new?domain=recipes.yourserver.com
```
Build your app, and it's immediately live at that domain.
Railway and most platforms handle SSL automatically. For self-hosted setups, use a reverse proxy like Caddy or nginx with Let's Encrypt.
***
## Managing Apps
### From the Dashboard
Visit `/tinykit/dashboard` from any domain to see all your apps:
* Click an app to edit it
* See each app's domain
* Create new apps
### From Any Domain
Access the builder for the current domain:
```
recipes.yourserver.com/tinykit
```
Or jump directly to a specific app by ID:
```
recipes.yourserver.com/tinykit/studio?id=abc123
```
***
## Domain Normalization
tinykit normalizes domains for matching:
* Removes port numbers (`:5173`, `:3000`)
* Removes `www.` prefix
* Converts to lowercase
So these all resolve to the same project:
```
recipes.yourserver.com
www.recipes.yourserver.com
RECIPES.yourserver.com
recipes.yourserver.com:443
```
***
## Unknown Domains
When someone visits a domain that doesn't have a project:
```
newapp.yourserver.com/
│
▼
No project found for "newapp.yourserver.com"
│
▼
Redirect to: /tinykit/new?domain=newapp.yourserver.com
```
The new project page shows: "Creating app for newapp.yourserver.com"
***
## Example Setup
### Scenario: Agency with Multiple Clients
```
# Your clients' domains
client-a.com → Portfolio site
client-b.com → Booking system
client-c.com → Product catalog
# Your internal tools (subdomain)
admin.youragency.com → Internal dashboard
crm.youragency.com → Client CRM
```
All running on one \$5/month Railway instance.
### Scenario: Personal Projects
```
# Different subdomains of your domain
recipes.mydomain.com → Recipe collection
bookmarks.mydomain.com → Bookmark manager
notes.mydomain.com → Note-taking app
```
***
## Local Development
During local development, tinykit uses `localhost` as the domain. All apps are accessible via the dashboard at `/tinykit/dashboard`.
To test domain routing locally:
1. Add entries to your hosts file:
```
127.0.0.1 recipes.local
127.0.0.1 blog.local
```
2. Visit `recipes.local:5173` and `blog.local:5173`
3. Each will resolve to its respective project
***
## Deployment Considerations
### Railway
Railway provides a single URL (e.g., `your-app.railway.app`). To use custom domains:
1. Go to your Railway project settings
2. Add custom domains
3. Configure DNS as instructed
4. SSL is automatic
### Self-Hosted
For VPS deployments, use a reverse proxy:
Caddy handles SSL automatically:
```
recipes.yourserver.com {
reverse_proxy localhost:5173
}
blog.yourserver.com {
reverse_proxy localhost:5173
}
```
```nginx theme={null}
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name recipes.yourserver.com blog.yourserver.com;
ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:5173;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
}
}
```
***
## Limitations
Keep in mind:
* **Shared database**: All apps share the same Pocketbase instance. Collection names should be unique across apps, or use prefixes (e.g., `recipes_items`, `blog_posts`).
* **Shared authentication**: Pocketbase auth is shared. A user logged in on one domain is logged into all domains on that server.
* **Single server**: All apps run on the same server. High-traffic apps might need dedicated hosting.
***
## FAQ
Yes. Edit the project in the dashboard and change its domain field. The app will immediately be served at the new domain.
The first matching project is served. Avoid duplicate domains—each project should have a unique domain.
Yes. Apps without domains are only accessible via the dashboard using their ID (`/tinykit/studio?id=X`).
Yes. `app.example.com` and `other.example.com` are treated as different domains.