Add your domain
- On your dashboard, click Domain settings under the site's address. Only a ZIP site has it.
- Under Custom domain, type the subdomain in Your domain, such as files.example.com, and click Add domain.
- The panel says "Create this record at your registrar" and shows a CNAME record. Its name is your subdomain, and its value is a target made for this domain. Copy the value with the copy button.
- Create the record at your registrar. Some registrars want only the part before your domain, so files rather than files.example.com.
- Once the record is in place, click Check now. When the badge says "Live", the site opens at your domain over HTTPS.
DNS changes usually reach NudgeHost within a few minutes, and occasionally take up to a day. Every domain is also checked once a day without you doing anything.
What you can connect
- A ZIP site only. A PDF, an image or any other single file has no Custom domain section, so to publish a site from a ZIP comes first.
- A subdomain only. A root domain such as example.com is refused, because it needs a different kind of DNS record from the CNAME this setup uses.
- One domain on Pro and 5 on Studio, counted across the account, and one domain per site. A paused domain still counts.
- HTTPS is set up for you. There's no certificate to buy or upload.
The site keeps working at its nudgehost.site address, and your domain serves the same pages at the same paths. Search engines can list the pages on your domain, while the nudgehost.site copy asks them not to. The Pro plan costs $12 a month.
What each status means
| Badge | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Waiting for DNS" | The CNAME record hasn't reached NudgeHost yet. Check the name and value at your registrar, then click Check now. |
| "Waiting for verification" | Another account already holds this domain. Create the verification record the panel shows first, then the CNAME. |
| "Live" | The domain serves your site. The panel shows "Working since" and the date. |
| "Paused" | Your plan no longer includes custom domains. The domain is kept for you, as the last section explains. |
| "Not working" | The domain was working and stopped for a reason you can't fix at your registrar. Email support@nudgehost.com. |
| "Setup did not finish" | Remove the domain and add it again. |
| "Removed" | You removed the domain. You can add it, or another one, again. |
| "Released" | Your plan lapsed and the time to bring the domain back ran out. Adding it again needs a paid plan and a new DNS record. |
If an add or a check fails with a message, the troubleshooting guide covers custom domains too.
Passwords and custom domains
A site with a password never serves on a custom domain, because the password works on the nudgehost.site address only. If you add a password to a link that has a domain, the domain stops serving until you remove the password. A site that has a password and no domain yet shows "Not available while this site has a password" in place of the form.
Remove or move a domain
- Open the site's page and click Remove domain.
- Confirm with Remove. The dialog says "Your site will stop being served there."
- The domain stops serving within a minute, and the badge says "Removed".
To move a domain to another site, remove it here and add it there. The CNAME value is made for each setup, so check the new value and update the record at your registrar.
When a paid plan ends
- The domain stops serving and its badge says "Paused". The site still works at its nudgehost.site address.
- NudgeHost emails you when the domain stops serving, and again at least 7 days before releasing it.
- The domain is kept for you for at least 30 days. Resubscribe in that time and it serves again with no DNS change.
- After that it's released, and adding it again needs a paid plan and a new DNS record.