How to Add a Custom Domain to Your Cloud App

# How to Add a Custom Domain to Your Cloud App

Every production application needs a real domain name. your-app.pandastack.io works for development and staging, but for production you want app.yourcompany.com or www.yourproduct.io. Connecting a custom domain to PandaStack takes about 10 minutes.

1. Purchase a Domain (If You Don't Have One)

Popular domain registrars:

• Cloudflare Registrar: at-cost pricing, excellent DNS management
• Namecheap: competitive pricing, simple interface
• Google Domains (now Squarespace Domains): clean dashboard
• AWS Route 53: ideal if you are already using AWS

Domain registration typically costs $10-15/year for .com. Consider buying your .io and .com variants to protect your brand.

2. Add the Domain in PandaStack

1. 1Log in to [dashboard.pandastack.io](https://dashboard.pandastack.io)
2. 2Go to your deployment
3. 3Click Domains → Add Domain
4. 4Type your domain (e.g., app.yourcompany.com or www.yourproduct.io)
5. 5Click Add

PandaStack shows you a CNAME value to configure in your DNS. Copy this value.

3. Add a CNAME Record in Your DNS Provider

In your domain registrar's DNS settings, create a new record:

The Name field is the subdomain prefix:

• For app.yourcompany.com: Name = app
• For www.yourproduct.io: Name = www
• For api.yourcompany.com: Name = api

4. Apex Domain Setup (Optional)

For root/apex domains (yourcompany.com without www), CNAME records are technically not supported by the DNS spec. Use one of these options:

Cloudflare CNAME flattening (recommended): Cloudflare automatically flattens apex CNAMEs. Add a CNAME for @ pointing to your PandaStack hostname.

ALIAS record: Some registrars (Namecheap, Route 53) support ALIAS records at the apex. Add an ALIAS for @ pointing to your PandaStack hostname.

301 redirect: Add a redirect from yourcompany.com to www.yourcompany.com, then configure www with a CNAME.

5. Wait for DNS Propagation

DNS changes typically propagate in minutes if your TTL is set low (300 seconds). It can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.

Verify propagation:

# Check the CNAME record is resolving
dig app.yourcompany.com CNAME

# Or use nslookup
nslookup app.yourcompany.com

6. SSL Certificate is Automatic

PandaStack monitors DNS propagation and automatically requests a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate once your domain points to PandaStack. You do not need to configure SSL — it is provisioned and renewed automatically.

Certificate status is visible in your domain settings in the PandaStack dashboard.

7. Verify Your Custom Domain is Working

# Check HTTP status
curl -I https://app.yourcompany.com
# Should return HTTP/2 200

# Verify SSL certificate
openssl s_client -connect app.yourcompany.com:443 -servername app.yourcompany.com < /dev/null 2>/dev/null | grep "subject="

8. Add Multiple Domains to One Deployment

You can add multiple custom domains to a single deployment. Common patterns:

• www.yourproduct.io — primary domain
• yourproduct.io — apex redirect to www
• app.yourproduct.io — app subdomain

Each domain gets its own SSL certificate. HTTP traffic to any domain is automatically redirected to HTTPS.

Troubleshooting

Domain shows "SSL Certificate Pending": DNS has not propagated yet, or there is a misconfiguration. Verify the CNAME is set correctly with dig your-domain.com CNAME.

SSL error in browser: Clear browser cache and try again. Let's Encrypt certificates sometimes take a few minutes to propagate after issuance.

Wrong site loading: Check that your CNAME value exactly matches what PandaStack provided. Even a small typo will cause issues.

Full docs: [docs.pandastack.io](https://docs.pandastack.io).