Domain selection

Several approaches can be used to configure the domain for the local network.

Top domain

The first approach is to own and use a domain such as example.com. While this involves a yearly cost, it can be as low as €5 per year. All services can then be hosted under subdomains, such as nas.example.com, grafana.example.com, and so on.

With this approach, a valid SSL certificate can be obtained through Let’s Encrypt Certbot, a self-signed certificate, or a commercial certificate.

A common configuration using this approach involves multiple domains with the same name but different top-level domains—for example, example.com and *.example.com for public-facing websites, and *.example.net for the internal network.

Subdomain

Another approach is to use a subdomain of an owned domain. This is similar to the previous approach but relies on a subdomain, such as internal.example.com. All internal services would then be hosted under *.internal.example.com.

Public-facing websites or servers would remain accessible via example.com and *.example.com, while internal network services would be accessible under *.internal.example.com.

Some common subdomains used

Subdomain

Notes

Example

location

Using an abbreviation of the physical location of the network, such as nyc for New York City

nas.nyc.example.com, grafana.nyc.example.com

ld

Abbreviation of “local domain”

nas.ld.example.com, grafana.ld.example.com

int

Abbreviation of “internal”

nas.int.example.com, grafana.int.example.com

corp

Abbreviation of “corporation”, used in professional environments

nas.corp.example.com, grafana.corp.example.com

lan

Abbreviation of “local area network”

nas.lan.example.com, grafana.lan.example.com

Reserved domains

It is possible to use a reserved domain without a top-level domain. The main disadvantage is that the SSL certificate must be self-signed. On the other hand, this approach is completely free.

Using such a domain may also require additional configuration of your DHCP and DNS servers.

Common reserved domains

Domain

Notes

Example

internal

Recommended for use by ICANN since 2024

nas.internal, grafana.internal

ld

Abbreviation of “local domain”

nas.ld, grafana.ld

lan

Abbreviation of “local area network”

nas.lan, grafana.lan

local

Used by with multicast DNS (mDNS)

nas.local, grafana.local

References