What Is A Temporary URL & How Do You Use One?

While browsing the web hosting scenario, you might have come across the words “Temporary URL.” Furthermore, when it comes to website transfers, the temporary URL allows you to browse the site on the new server without having to change your domain’s DNS. What makes this so beneficial? Why do so many people choose this approach to pointing their domain names to different environments straight away? The solution is straightforward: reliability. 

In most scenarios, clients will prefer to expand on the temporary (or use the temporary URL) because they already have an operational website that is actually using the same domain as the one, they want to use for their new site and choose to keep it live for their users until the new website is able to launch. 

A temporary URL may look like this:

http://temp.domain.com/cpanelusername/

Why would you want to create a site using a temporary URL?

If you already have got a website with the same domain name as the one you want for the new website, you can opt to expand on the temporary URL so that your existing site can stay fully operational while the new one is being built. Building on the temp is a nice choice for existing businesses who want to keep taking orders from their old site as they develop and populate the new website, and until they’re able to completely launch the new one.

Is it possible to build a website using a temporary URL?

Well, indeed! You can use the temporary URL to build and populate the whole website. Although your latest services are already on the temporary URL, your developer can install the prototype for you. 

Using a Temporary URL in WordPress

You will need to use the temporary URL when transferring your WordPress installation to another hosting server; this URL would enable you to reach your site until the Name Servers have propagated.

•         Switching to a temporary URL
•         Switching from a temporary URL 

Switching to a temporary URL

There are some cases where you’ll need to go into the WordPress database to update a URL.

•         Since your domain name isn’t yet resolving to your new account, you’ll need to use a URL like http://temp.domain.com/username/ to access your WordPress installation. There are no pictures or themes displayed; only the text appears.
•         You can’t log into Administrator Panel because it needs to take you to a URL that contains your domain name. What options do you have for viewing your WordPress blog before your domain name resolves?
•         http://www.domain.com/addondomain/ is an example of a URL. There are no redirects in the .htaccess file, either.
•         If you built WordPress on an addon domain, you’ll need to update the database URL to something like http://www.addondomain.com. 

This generally requires a few basic database edits.

1.       To begin, double-check that your WordPress installation is complete and you know the database’s name. The database’s name is probably something like:

•         username_wp1
•         If you don’t have the name of the database, you can look it up in the wp-config.php file using the File Manager.

2.       Select Code Edit from the context menu when you right-click wp-config.php. The username and database are now visible.
3.       After that, go to your cPanel and login. Look for the Databases section of the website. Choose phpMyAdmin.
4.       On the left, choose the database name. (For example, “_wp1”)
5.       Select “Browse”.
6.       For the top row (option name is “site URL”), choose the pencil icon (for Edit) on the left.
7.       Your domain name will be shown. You’d like to change it to

•         http://temp.domain.com/~username/
•         This step is critical to avoid making an error. Please double-check that the URL you’re typing in here is right, or nothing will happen.

8.       After you’ve updated the URL, there’s a “Go” button at the bottom. Choose the “Go” option.
9.       Choose the Next button. Look for the option name.
10.   To edit, click the pencil button. Click the Go button after making the same URL update as you did for siteurl earlier.
11.   All of your pictures will appear when you go to your blog’s Temporary URL (http://temp.domain.com/username/). 

Switching from a temporary URL 

You don’t need to go back into phpMyAdmin until you’ve modified your name servers so that your domain name resolves to your account.

1.       Go to your WordPress Admin Panel and login.
2.       Select Settings. You’ll find WordPress and the site’s address (URL). Your Temporary URL is set to (http://temp.domain.com/username/).
3.       Replace this with your domain name, along with the appropriate folders, and you’re good to go. 

Temporary URL servers have lower storage since they’re just used to test a website on the network until it goes online, not to benchmark performance.