How do I create a custom domain for my build?

It’s easiest to find a website when you remember the name.

What is a custom domain, or a domain name in general?

A custom domain is a unique branded name that identifies a website. For example, Crowdbotics’ custom domain is crowdbotics.com.

At Crowdbotics, we now allow you to host your application on the web, with a custom domain name. Instead of something complex and hard to remember, you can name your build and direct users to a matching URL.

 

 

Just use what you’re planning to call your app. Purchase the domain name you’re interested in first (you can do this with sites like GoDaddy or Namecheap), then change the domain on your Crowdbotics App Dashboard. Be sure to keep it simple and spell it correctly.

Once you make your final decision, be sure to copy and paste your CNAME record into your domain provider records. The CNAME record or Canonical Name record maps one domain name to another. So you could point ftp.example.com and www.example.com to example.com, which in turn points to the IP address. Check here for more on adding this on GoDaddy.

Voila. Your product is easy to find, it’s easy to remember, and it feels much more legitimate when the URL matches the name of the product. You want your users to be able to simply remember where they should go and find your product instead of googling or trying to remember something complex.

 

 

Try adding a custom domain to your app now from the App Dashboard on Crowdbotics. 

2. Click on App Settings on the menu panel on the left-hand side.

3. Click on the API tab at the top and then click the "Update" button in the Custom Domain section.

4. Enter your Custom Domain in the textbox, for example, “www.myclientdomain.com” and click the "Continue" button.

5. Copy the provided DNS CNAME record into your domain provider records(For example, GoDaddy). This tells your domain where to look for the content to display.

6. Make sure your domain shows up clearly with a green checkmark confirming it is verified. Go ahead and click "Ok" and you're done!

Troubleshooting

Why isn’t my custom domain being verified?

If you’re having trouble with verification, here are a few things to try:

• Make sure you spelled it correctly
• Make sure you copy and paste the CNAME
• Make sure you actually own this domain
• Make sure you’re up to date on your payments for this domain
• Connecting to a domain usually occurs quickly, but can take up to 72 hours