Netlify Create /

Netlify Create domain management

Add a custom domain to your site.

Configuring domain names correctly can be a tricky subject - even for highly technical people.

There are many domain name registrars and DNS services on the internet, each with their own user interface. Plus, DNS changes often take time to propagate, from minutes to hours. If you need assistance, talk to us.

In many organizations this work is done by the IT or DevOps team, and it's best to ask for their assistance. If your organization has policies on the tools used to deploy websites, point them to deployment options.

# Prerequisites

  1. You should already own a domain name, or purchase one now (through registrars such as Google Domains, Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.).
  2. You need access to the DNS service where this domain is configured. Many domain registrars also provide this service by default as part of buying a domain.

# Connect a root domain or subdomain

Let us assume you own the domain name awesome-daffodils.com.
You may wish to either:

  1. Connect the root domain awesome-daffodils.com (a.k.a. the Apex Domain or Bare Domain) to your website, so that visitors can reach your site without entering any prefix (e.g. www.).
    In this case, it is best practice to ensure that both the root domain and the subdomain www.awesome-daffodils.com are mapped to the same site.

-OR-

  1. Connect any subdomain name other than www.
    • such as campaigns.awesome-daffodils.com, shop.awesome-daffodils.com or docs.awesome-daffodils.com.

Both cases are supported by Netlify Create, but note that the details below vary a bit by case.

Warning

If there are already DNS records pointing from the desired domain or subdomain to a different destination, you will need to modify them rather than add another one.

# 1. Create DNS records

To start, open the Project Settings in Netlify Create by clicking the cog icon at the top-left corner of the visual editor. Then, choose the Domain tab.
This is how the screen looks with a custom domain connected:

Custom domain settings form.

Now, copy the displayed domain name and head over to your DNS service.

# DNS settings for a root domain

In this case, we will need two records:
one for the www. subdomain, and the other for the root domain.

First, add a new CNAME record pointing from www to the default domain name:

  • In the Type field, select CNAME
  • In the field typically named Host or Name, enter: www
    (the field name varies by DNS service).
  • In the Value field (a.k.a. Points to), paste the default domain name that you copied from the Project Settings screen.
  • Save this record.

Then, add a new A record for the root domain:

  • Select A as the Type
  • In the Host / Name field, enter this character: @
    (in some DNS services, this should be left empty)
  • In the Value field, enter: 75.2.60.5
  • Save this record.

As an example, let's assume that your default site name (generated by Netlify Create based on your project name) is awesome-daffodils-ec6012.netlify.app, and you wish to connect awesome-daffodils.com and www.awesome-daffodils.com to your site.

Here's how the new record should look like (we're using Namecheap as the DNS service in this example):

Root domain DNS settings with Namecheap.

Now proceed to Step 2.

# DNS settings for a different subdomain

In this case, only one record is needed.

Add a new CNAME record pointing from www to the default domain name which you copied.

  • In the Type field, select CNAME
  • In the field typically named Host or Name, enter just the subdomain part, e.g. shop.
  • In the Value field (a.k.a. Points to), paste the default domain name that you copied from the Project Settings screen.
  • Save this record.

# 2. Let Netlify Create know of your domain

Note

At this point, the actual DNS changes you needed to make are complete. However, it may take anywhere from a few minutes up to an hour or more for these changes to propagate through the internet's global DNS system.

Fill in your domain name in the text box:

  • For connecting your root domain and its www. subdomain, please enter the www subdomain (e.g. www.awesome-daffodils.com) and click on the "Save" button.
    Both the root domain and the www. subdomain will be connected.

  • For connecting a different subdomain, enter it and click "Save".

Netlify Create will now validate the DNS records you've created. After DNS is validated, Netlify Create will issue and install a certificate for secure browsing (HTTPS). This step can take several minutes as well, and sometimes longer. If you see a message that the certificate is not yet ready, wait a few minutes and then click "Check again" to see the current status.

When the setup is complete, you will see a success message: "Your domain is connected!".

Custom domain connected OK.

# Troubleshooting tips

If you get an error, do the following:

  1. Check that you've configured DNS records exactly as explained above.
  2. Ensure that you've entered the full subdomain name into the text box, without any protocol or path (if there's a slash in the name - it's incorrect...). In our example, the value should be exactly www.awesome-daffodils.com
  3. Finally, wait a few moments and try again.

If the process is not complete after an hour for any reason, please contact us for support.