Connect your own domain

What you need

• Access to the DNS settings at your domain provider
• The target addresses for your service. If you order from me, I will send them to you.

Step 1: Add the records

In this example, social.example.com should point to your service:

With most providers you only enter social, and they add the domain themselves. For the main domain example.com itself, the name is usually @, or the field stays empty.

Step 2: Remove old records

If there are old A or AAAA records for the same name, delete them. Otherwise some visitors end up on the old server.

Important: Do not forget the old AAAA record. If it stays, the HTTPS certificate often fails too, even though the A record is right.

Step 3: Wait and test

Changes take a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the TTL value. If you are planning a move, set the TTL to 300 seconds a day ahead.

On Linux and macOS, check it like this:

dig +short social.example.com A
dig +short social.example.com AAAA

On Windows:

nslookup social.example.com

You should see exactly the addresses you entered. For services I host, I get the certificate as soon as the records are right.

If it does not work

• CNAME on the main domain: This is not allowed, because other records such as MX live there. Use A and AAAA instead.
• CNAME next to other records: A name with a CNAME cannot have any other records.
• Doubled address: If the test shows nothing, you may have entered social.example.com as the name, which became social.example.com.example.com.
• No certificate: Check for old AAAA records and CDN services. If there is a CAA record, it has to allow letsencrypt.org.
• CDN or proxy active: With Cloudflare, set the record to “DNS only”. Many services do not work properly behind a proxy.
• Email stops arriving: The MX records must not change when you only connect a web service.