Your site address and DNS

Every published site has a free address made from the project's site address, and on Starter and Pro you can also attach your own domain. This page is the reference for both: how to change the address, and how the DNS side of a custom domain works. For a guided first setup, see Use your own domain.

The site address (subdomain)

The site address is the part that identifies your site in its free public address. On a computer, it is shown under the project name in the top bar.

Change it

1. Click the address under the project name (« Change the address (subdomain) — click to edit »).
2. Type the new address. Rules: letters, digits and dashes, at least three characters.
3. Watch the live check: « {address} is available ✓ », « Already taken — pick another address », « Reserved address » or « At least three characters ».
4. Press Enter to save.

If the site is already published, you get « Address saved — republish the site to bring it online at its new address »: click Republish. Until then the live site keeps its old address.

Warning

after changing the address, links shared with the old address stop leading to your site. Update them wherever you posted them.

A custom domain: how the DNS works

To show your site on a name you own (like app.yourbusiness.com), FromScratch needs two things: the domain attached to the project, and a DNS record at your domain registrar that points to FromScratch.

1. Publish the project first. The Domain menu reminds you: « Publish the app first — a custom domain points to your live deployment. »
2. In Domain › « Custom domain », type the host name only — app.yourbusiness.com, without https:// and without a slash — and click Attach.
3. Under « DNS configuration », the menu says « Point your domain at this server with an A record » and shows the address (IP) to use.
4. At your registrar, create an A record for that host name with that IP. For app.yourbusiness.com, the record's name is usually app.
5. Wait for DNS propagation. The status goes from Pending to Active; a TLS certificate is then issued automatically, usually within a few minutes, so your domain works in HTTPS.

Use Update to change the domain and Remove to detach it.

Statuses

Common mistakes

• Pasting a full URL. Enter a host name like app.example.com, not https://app.example.com/.
• Several records for the same name. If an old A record (or another kind of record) still exists for that name, remove it so only the FromScratch A record remains.
• Waiting too little. DNS changes can take from a few minutes to several hours depending on your registrar. Leave the domain attached; it switches to Active by itself.
• One domain, one project. A domain can only be attached to one project at a time. Remove it from the other project first.
• The free FromScratch addresses are managed automatically and cannot be attached as a custom domain.

Tip

if you want both yourbusiness.com and www.yourbusiness.com, attach one of them to the project and set up a redirect from the other at your registrar.

Custom domains are part of Starter and Pro (« Custom domains are included in Starter & Pro »).

FAQ

Related

• Use your own domain
• Publish, republish, unpublish
• Get found on Google