hosted wordpress.com to local directory?

Question

This question was posted at onstartups - one that I frequently hear.

Figure that I would ask the experts over here - can one maintain a hosted wordpress.com blog yet make it a subdirectory under their domain?

From: http://blog.domain.com to http://domain.com/blog

IF so, what step(s) / .htaccess changes are necessary to make it happen?

{Edit to clarify some points}

1. user currently has a wordpress.com blog ( http://username.wordpress.com )
2. user currently has a domain / site (http://domain.com)
3. user likes wordpress.com hosting and doesn't want to install a local version of wordpress on domain.com.

User is willing to pay wordpress.com for custom url, but doesn't want http://blog.domain.com - (s)he wants blog to be a directory http://domain.com/blog.

Answer 1

I've come across this request before as well (through not specificaly for wordpress.com hosted sites)--I typically tell clients that it's not advisable as it adds a layer of server complexity.

But it is possible--in general--to provide content in a subdir from a separate server. Basically, you install mod_proxy on Apache and set up a "reverse proxy"--all requests come to the proxy, and it decides which server to send the request to based on a set of rules you configure. But it's not a redirect...the response comes through the proxy. I've never done it (it requires way more server admin skills than I posses), but if you're adventurous, knock yourself out.

HOWEVER, with a wordpress.com blog, I don't think you're able to change the domain for your blog to a separate domain with a subdir. So once you hit the blog's homepage, any subsequent clicks would take you to the wordpress.com domain. Which seems not worth the hassle of setting it all up.

Probably the simplest option is to use a subdomain rather than a subdir.

Answer 2

So you are currently setup using, blog.domain.com Then you want to change to wordpress and use their hosting and be setup on domain.com/blog/ ?

They dont have that option by default for the premium DNS feature. You would need to email wordpress.com support to see if they have that option. Its definetly not listed on their features section: http://en.wordpress.com/products/