Waymaker
Waymaker Host

Custom Domains

Learn about Custom Domains in WaymakerOS.

DomainsSSLDNS

Put your own domain on a Waymaker-hosted app. Your DNS can stay wherever it is today — you never need to move it to Waymaker. You add a few records at your current DNS provider, and Waymaker issues and renews the SSL certificate automatically.

How It Works

  1. Connect — Enter your domain in your app's settings
  2. Add DNS records — Copy the records Waymaker shows you into your DNS provider
  3. Verify — Waymaker confirms the records and proves you own the domain
  4. Automatic SSL — A certificate is issued and auto-renews — you never touch it
  5. Live — Your app serves on your domain over HTTPS

Apps are served through Cloudflare's global CDN — 330+ cities with sub-50ms latency and built-in DDoS protection.

Connect a Domain

  1. Open your app in Host
  2. Go to Settings → Custom Domain
  3. Enter your domain — either a subdomain (app.yourcompany.com) or your root domain (yourcompany.com)
  4. Click Connect

Waymaker shows you the exact DNS records to add, each with a copy button. The set depends on whether you connected a subdomain or a root domain.

Subdomain (e.g. app.yourcompany.com)

Add these records at your DNS provider:

TypeNameValuePurpose
CNAMEappconnect.waymakerapp.comRoutes traffic to your app
TXT_cf-custom-hostname.app(shown in Host)Proves you own the domain
CNAME_acme-challenge.app(shown in Host)Issues and auto-renews your SSL certificate

Root domain (e.g. yourcompany.com)

Root domains can't use a CNAME, so Waymaker gives you A records instead — plus a www record so both yourcompany.com and www.yourcompany.com work.

TypeNameValuePurpose
A@(two addresses shown in Host)Routes traffic to your app
CNAMEwwwconnect.waymakerapp.comRoutes www to your app
TXT_cf-custom-hostname(shown in Host)Proves you own the domain
CNAME_acme-challenge(shown in Host)Issues and auto-renews your SSL certificate

Always copy the exact values shown in Host — the verification and certificate values are unique to your domain.

Verify and Go Live

After adding the records, click Verify DNS in Host. (Host also checks automatically every 30 seconds, so the status updates on its own.)

The status moves through these stages:

StatusMeaning
PendingWaiting for your DNS records to appear
SSL SetupOwnership confirmed — your certificate is being issued (usually 1–5 minutes)
ActiveLive and serving over HTTPS

DNS changes usually take effect within a few minutes, but can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.

If You Use Cloudflare for Your DNS

If your domain's DNS is hosted on Cloudflare, there's one extra thing to know. This is a standard Cloudflare rule that applies to any hosting platform, not something specific to Waymaker.

Subdomains work normally. Add the CNAME exactly as shown, and set its proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud, not orange). That's all.

Root domains need a redirect instead of A records. Cloudflare blocks a root domain from pointing directly at another network's addresses (you'll see a "DNS points to prohibited IP" error if you try). The fix is to serve your site on www and redirect the root to it:

  1. In Host, connect the www version (www.yourcompany.com) and add the records as shown — it will go Active normally.
  2. In your Cloudflare dashboard, under DNS, add a placeholder record so the root resolves to Cloudflare's edge:
    • Type A, Name @, value 192.0.2.1, Proxied (orange cloud)
  3. Go to Rules → Redirect Rules → Create rule:
    • When incoming requests match → Custom filter expression: (http.host eq "yourcompany.com")
    • Then → Type Dynamic, Expression concat("https://www.yourcompany.com", http.request.uri.path), Status 301, Preserve query string on
    • Deploy

Visitors to yourcompany.com are then sent to www.yourcompany.com, which serves your app.

Removing a Custom Domain

  1. Open Settings → Custom Domain for the app
  2. Click Remove Domain

This cancels the SSL certificate, removes the routing, and reverts the app to its <app>--<org>.waymakerapp.com address. You can then delete the DNS records you added.

Using the CLI

Every step is also available from the Waymaker CLI.

# Connect a domain — returns the DNS records to add
waymaker host domains setup <app-id> --domain app.yourcompany.com

# Verify records and trigger SSL
waymaker host domains verify <app-id>

# Check current status
waymaker host domains status <app-id>

# Remove the domain
waymaker host domains remove <app-id>

Troubleshooting

Records aren't being detected

  • Confirm each record's Name and Value match exactly what Host shows — copy them rather than retyping
  • If your DNS is on Cloudflare, set the routing records to DNS only (grey cloud)
  • Wait 5–10 minutes for changes to propagate, then click Verify DNS again
  • Check that the records are visible with dig:
dig CNAME app.yourcompany.com
dig TXT _cf-custom-hostname.app.yourcompany.com

"DNS points to prohibited IP" on a root domain

This happens when your DNS is on Cloudflare and you've pointed the root domain straight at our addresses. Follow the steps in If You Use Cloudflare for Your DNS — serve on www and redirect the root to it.

Stuck on SSL Setup

  • This stage is normally 1–5 minutes. Confirm the _acme-challenge record is in place exactly as shown
  • Click Verify DNS again, or wait for the automatic check
  • If it persists, remove the domain and reconnect it

Next Steps