Point your own domain at it

One CNAME record, and the certificate is our problem. Why root domains are not supported, and what to do instead.

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The short version

Add one CNAME record at your DNS provider, pointing your subdomain at the target we show you. We watch for it, and once it is visible we issue the certificate. You do nothing else.

Step by step

  1. In your site’s settings, add the domain. Use a subdomain: www.example.com, docs.example.com, blog.example.com.
  2. We show you the exact record to create, including the target. Copy it.
  3. Go to your DNS provider and add it as a CNAME. This is one of two steps only you can do, because we have no access to your DNS and should not have.
  4. Come back. The domain moves through waiting for DNS, issuing the certificate, and then live. If something is wrong, it says what.

If you would rather not wait, there is a recheck that runs the DNS and certificate check immediately instead of waiting for the next sweep. Your agent can call it too.

Root domains are not supported

You can point www.example.com at us. You cannot point bare example.com at us.

This is a real limitation and not a preference. The DNS specification does not allow a CNAME record at the root of a domain. Some providers work around it with a proprietary extension, usually called ALIAS or CNAME flattening, but many do not have one, and we would rather not build a feature that works for some customers and mysteriously fails for others.

What to do instead. Point www at us, then set your registrar to redirect the bare domain to www. Nearly every registrar offers this, usually called domain forwarding or a redirect, and it is a setting rather than a project. Visitors typing example.com land on your site either way.

The certificate

Issued for you, renewed for you, free on every plan, including when you are still on our address rather than your own. There is nothing to buy, nothing to upload and nothing to remember.

Removing a domain

Detaching a domain frees the name up again immediately, so you can move it to a different site without waiting.

FAQ

The questions worth answering before you hand us anything, including the ones where the answer is no.

Can I use example.com without the www?
Not pointed directly at us. Point www.example.com at us with a CNAME and redirect the bare example.com to it at your registrar. Most registrars have that as a setting rather than a project.
Why not? Everyone else does it.
A root domain cannot hold a CNAME record under the DNS specification. Providers who support it do so with a proprietary extension such as ALIAS or CNAME flattening, and most DNS providers do not have one. We would rather not support it than support it for some of you.
Do I have to buy a certificate?
No. It is issued and renewed for you, at no cost, on every plan. You will never get an email about a certificate expiring.
How long does it take?
Usually minutes. DNS changes have to propagate first, and that is outside anybody's control. The domain shows you which stage it is at rather than leaving you guessing.