All apps on Adaptable automatically get a DNS name on the adaptable.app domain for free.
For example, if your app is called myapp, Adaptable creates myapp.adaptable.app for you, sets up SSL/TLS, and makes your app available at https://myapp.adaptable.app.
Custom domains allow you to create other names and URLs where your app can be reached, for example https://mydomain.com.
When you add a custom domain to your app, Adaptable creates certificates for your app, sets up SSL/TLS, and automatically handles all certificate renewals for you.
»Step 1: Purchase a Domain
Before you can add a custom domain to your app, you need to own a domain. You can purchase a domain from a domain registrar such as Google Domains, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc. Choose a domain that best fits your app and complete the purchase process on the registrar's website. Adaptable works with domains purchased from any ICANN-accredited domain registrar.
»Step 2: Configure Adaptable
Navigate to the Settings tab on your app's status page.
Click on the Custom Domains section to expand it.
Enter your custom domain in the available text field.
For example, if you want your app to be reachable at https://www.mydomain.com, enter www.mydomain.com.
To add additional domains, press the plus icon on the lower left of the section.
For example, to add api.mydomain.com, click the plus icon on the lower left of the section to and enter api.mydomain.com.
tip
If you want your domains to be reachable, for example, from both mydomain.com and www.mydomain.com, you need to add both domains separately, one for each name
»Step 3: Save and Update Deployment
Click Save Settings and Update Deployment.
Adaptable will update your app deployment and configure the custom domains.
Once the deployment completes, you'll need to update your domain's DNS records to point to your App.
note
Remember, custom domains are only available on paid plans.
Configuring a custom domain on an app without an appropriate plan will result in an error.
»Step 4: Update Your DNS Records
For each domain you've added, update or add a DNS record that points your custom domain to your Adaptable app.
This is typically a CNAME record, but for bare domain names (e.g., mydomain.com as opposed to www.mydomain.com) you'll need to add an A record.
Instructions on which type of record to add and what values to use can be found on the Resources tab for your app after it finishes updating.
On the Resources tab, click Fix DNS Setup or Finish DNS Setup for the domain after it enters the Requesting TLS state.
»Configuring a CNAME record
For normal names, you'll need to add a CNAME record that points to your app's adaptable.app name.
For example, if your app is called myapp and your custom domain is www.mydomain.com, you will need to add a CNAME record that points www.mydomain.com to myapp.adaptable.app.
Use a TTL value of 300.
This will ensure DNS servers only cache this CNAME for 5 minutes so it is quick to change in case of problems.
If you have other domains, you should repeat this procedure for them as well (api.mydomain.com for example).
See your Domain Registrar's or DNS provider's documentation for specific instructions on how to configure custom records for your domain.
note
When adding a CNAME record, it must be the only record. Make sure to delete any other records for that domain.
»Configuring an A record
For a bare domain name like mydomain.com you will need to configure DNS differently.
Generally, a bare domain name cannot have a CNAME record.
Instead, you'll need to configure the IP address of your Adapatable app as an A record.
Specific instructions and the appropriate IP address can be found by clicking on Fix DNS Setup or Finish DNS Setup on the row for your domain on the Resources tab for your app.
Again, you'll have to consult your Domain Registrar's or DNS provider's documentation on how to configure custom records for your domain.
tip
You can track the status of your custom domain on the Resources tab for your app.
You should see a status of running once the domain is fully operational.
You can click Fix DNS Setup or Finish DNS Setup for specific instructions on how to configure DNS for each domain.
note
When adding an A record, it must be the only A record. Make sure to delete any other A and AAAA records for the domain.
»Step 5: Wait for DNS propagation
Once you've added the DNS records, you have to wait for the changes to propagate through the network. This can take a few minutes to a few days, depending on your prior DNS configuration and usage for the domain. Once Adaptable sees the correct DNS record for your custom domain, it will create and serve the proper TLS certificate(s). At this point, congratulations, your custom domain is up and running!
»Step 6: Update Your App's Code
Just because you have configured DNS and Adaptable to understand your custom domain, you still need to make sure your app is aware of the new domain. Exactly how to do this depends on the framework you chose (e.g., Next.js, Express, etc.), so consult the documentation for your framework to see exactly how to make it aware of custom domains. Usually, this involves a configuration setting with all the relevant domains.
If you have configured a bare domain name, and a subdomain (e.g., mydomain.com and www.mydomain.com) it is advisable to have one of those names redirect traffic to the other.
Again, your framework documentation should describe how to generate such redirect responses.