Custom Domain

This page assumes familiarity with DNS and domain registration. What is a domain name?

By default, a Cloudplane application is available at a default domain, which has the form mastodon-abcdef.cloudplane.app. A custom domain can be set up, which will replace the default domain.

To set up a custom domain on Cloudplane, two things need to happen:

• The domain must resolve to our IP address
• Domain ownership must be verified

The easiest way to achieve both is to use a CNAME record. But CNAME has one major limitation, it cannot be used with root domains.

Configuring DNS#

To reach your application through a custom domain, it must have either a CNAME or A record that points to our infrastructure.

CNAME record#

After entering a subdomain in the custom domain field, a CNAME record is shown. Once created, it will also verify your application.

On Cloudflare, proxy must be disabled to get a CNAME record. To use the proxy, you need a domain verification record (see below).

ALIAS record#

We recommend using a ALIAS record when setting up a root domain. It is a record type that behaves similar to CNAME, but can be used on the domain root. To a DNS client, it will look like a regular A record. ALIAS is sometimes called CNAME flattening or ANAME.

ALIAS is not supported by every DNS provider. If yours does not support it, we recommend switching your nameservers to another DNS provider like Cloudflare. Your domain will remain at your current registrar, only the DNS records will be managed through another service.

Here are some registrars that support ALIAS:

• Gandi
• Cloudflare
• Porkbun

A record#

If your registrar or DNS provider does not support ALIAS and you are unable to switch, you can use the following A record:

A @ 51.159.205.28

This IP might change in the future, use at your own peril.

Domain Verification#

To route traffic to your application, we must verify that you have ownership over your domain. Without it, anyone could sign up with our platform and use your domain for their application. When using a CNAME record, we can check that it points to the intended application.

For A records, we provide you with a TXT record that verifies your domain for all applications and all subdomains on your account.

Log in to show your TXT record

Common Errors#

DNS changes will always take some time to propagate, usually between a few minutes to a few hours.

Unable to connect#

Being unable to connect via your custom domain means your DNS records are incorrect. Make sure your domain name resolves, for example using a online DNS lookup website.

Redirect loop#

We enforce HTTPS, which might cause redirect loops with some proxies. With Cloudflare, encryption mode should be set to Full (strict).

Error 404#

A 404 error will be returned when the verification fails, or when you try to access the default domain after setting up a custom domain.

Invalid TLS certificate#

A TLS certificate is automatically provisioned once a domain is verified. This usually takes a couple of minutes, but in case of prior incorrect DNS records, certificate provisioning may be delayed by several hours due to rate limiting.