Welcome to VT Domains

VT Domains provides Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff with flexible web hosting and publishing tools for creating and managing course websites, digital projects, portfolios, and web applications. 

Participation is free for anyone currently affiliated with Virginia Tech.

Request a VT Domains Account

Click the button below to request an account. You will be asked to log in and fill out a short request form. The administrative team will review your request for approval, and you should receive a response within 1–2 business days.

What Can I do with VT Domains?

This program provides opportunities for faculty to engage their students with learning activities that require publishing or web hosting by providing easy-to-use tools and quick access to hosting capabilities. Each faculty member and student can have their own hosting package where they can host files, web development projects, or applications like WordPress.

Whether you’re creating a personal website, building a course project, developing a digital project, or experimenting with web development, VT Domains gives you a space to build and publish online.

The program is designed to empower faculty and students by giving them their own platform in which to publish content without handing it over to third-party publishers.

Request a Consultation

If you would like to speak with someone from  TLOS or from the library about using VT Domains for your research or teaching, you can request a consultation using the button below.

The Library also offers a weekly Digital Scholarship Collaboration Hour, providing a space to bring questions, explore collaborations, or just chat. Check the Library calendar for upcoming sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this program for?

This program is for currently enrolled faculty, staff, and students. It is meant to offer a safe space for students and faculty to host their web content. That content can include blogs, custom websites, LAMP-based web applications and custom developed LAMP-based applications.

What happens when I leave the university?

Students and faculty have the freedom to keep their hosting solution independently by moving to an affordable Reclaim hosting package once they graduate. Within 90 days of leaving the university, they will have the option of seamlessly switching their account to a paid account with Reclaim Hosting. Their hosting packages start as low as $36/year.

How does the signup process work?

You can use our interest form to express interest in participating in the program. Space is limited, so some preference is being given to courses that intend to use hosting platforms as part of their course content in an ongoing basis.

What can I use my domain for?

You can use your domain for any content related to your academic activities. This could include, blogging for courses, personal portfolios, web development, web application hosting, or sits for campus organizations among other options. Some activities are not permitted such as e-commerce. All VT Domains content is governed by the universities acceptable use policy.

How much does it cost?

Participating in the VT Domains program is free. If you would like to keep your account after you leave the university, your hosting package can seamlessly be converted to a paid package with Reclaim Hosting starting as low as $35/year.

What apps can I host?

Any LAMP-stack-based web applications (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP). Your hosting account features a ‘cPanel’ that has many one-click applications that can be installed such as WordPress or Omeka.

Can I host files on my domain?

You can host files on your domain, but the current limit on storage for each domain is 1 gigabyte.

Can I use this for web development?

Yes. The domains are suitable for LAMP-stack (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) web development or for creating custom HTML/CSS/Javascript websites.

What are the technical limits of the hosting package?

More information coming soon.

How do I get help with my website?

Reclaim Hosting will provide all technical support for any issues with your domain. You can request help through various methods such as email or through your cPanel. TLOS and the Library can also offer guidance to faculty and staff through consultations and to students groups through workshops.

I’m trying to download Scalar, but I’m getting an error message. What should I do?

Scalar is currently incompatible with some versions of PHP, which may cause installation issues. To resolve this, manually change your PHP version to 8.0. You can refer to this guide for detailed instructions on how to switch your PHP version.