Get started with domains

Find the best setup path and next steps based on your needs for a custom domain.

Domains and DNS navigator

Get help setting up your domain & DNS configuration.

Have you registered your domain?

Yes, I have registered my domain

I already own a domain and have registered a domain. My domain registration is currently active.

No, I need to register a domain

I want to register a new domain (or a subdomain) or get help choosing one.

Extra help

What does it mean to register a domain?

Registering a domain means purchasing the rights to use a specific domain name (like example.com) for a set period, typically one year.

When you register a domain, you're essentially renting that web address from a domain registrar, which is a company authorized to sell domain registrations. A company can be a domain registrar and offer DNS (Domain Name System) services to help site visitors look up your domain name and to help you manage your domain. This gives you exclusive rights to use that domain name for your website or email.

How do I know if I've registered a domain?

If you've registered a domain, you should have received confirmation emails from the registrar and billing records for the domain purchase.

You can also check domain ownership using WHOIS lookup tools online, such as lookup.icann.org/en. You can also check your email for receipts from your domain registrar.

Do you want to use Netlify DNS or a third-party external DNS provider?

This choice affects how you manage DNS records and configure your domain settings.

Use Netlify DNS Most recommended

Manage DNS records through Netlify for automatic SSL certificate provisioning, custom subdomain options, simplified domain management, and more.

Use a third-party external DNS provider

Using your existing DNS service (a third-party external DNS provider) can be better if you have a lot of DNS records since Netlify doesn't allow inbound DNS zone transfers.

Extra help

Why Netlify DNS?

• Customize domains for your preview URLs, such as for Deploy Previews or branch deploys to reproduce production environments and use tools requiring shared subdomains with the production URL
• Automatic deploy subdomains
• Support for standalone subdomains so you can host docs.company.com while allowing your company to host company.com elsewhere.
• Wildcard SSL certificate provisioning and renewal (non-wildcard is supported with both)
• Simplified DNS management from your dashboard
• Optimized global infrastructure for faster resolution
• Seamless integration with Netlify's edge network
• Manage all DNS records in one place without switching providers

Learn more about the benefits in our docs Why Netlify DNS?.

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Choose how you want to register your domain.

Register a domain with Netlify Most recommended

Buy a new domain directly from Netlify with automatic DNS configuration.

Register a domain with a third-party domain registrar

Buy and register a domain through a third-party registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or others.

Why register with Netlify?

Automatic DNS configuration with no manual setup required

Standalone subdomain support, so you can manage docs.company.com while allowing your company to host company.com elsewhere

Customize domains for your preview URLs, such as for Deploy Previews or branch deploys to reproduce production environments and use tools requiring shared subdomains with the production URL

Instant SSL certificate provisioning

Unified billing and management in your Netlify dashboard

Competitive pricing with transparent renewal rates

Built-in integration with all Netlify features and services

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Buy and register domain with a third-party registrar

Follow your domain registrar's documentation on how to buy and register a domain. Once you buy and register your domain, you can choose to manage your new domain with Netlify DNS or with an external third-party DNS provider.

👍 I bought and registered my domain with a third-party registrar

I'm ready to set up DNS for my new domain.

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Register a domain with Netlify

Purchase a domain directly through Netlify for seamless integration and automatic configuration.

Open domain registration docs

👍 I bought and registered my domain with Netlify

I'm ready to set up DNS for my new domain.

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Before setting up Netlify DNS, add your custom domain to your Netlify project.

Use the button below to open your project’s domain settings, then add your custom domain to your project.

👍 I added my custom domain to my Netlify project

I'm ready to set up Netlify DNS now.

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Before configuring your domain with an external DNS provider, add your custom domain to your Netlify project.

Use the button below to open your project’s domain settings, then add your custom domain to your project.

👍 I added my custom domain to my Netlify project

I'm ready to continue with external DNS setup.

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Is the domain you added either an apex domain or a www subdomain?

Yes

The domain I added is either an apex domain (also called root domain) or a www subdomain. For example, company.com is an apex domain and www.company.com is a www subdomain.

No

The domain I added is NOT an apex domain or a www subdomain. For example, the domain added could be another kind of subdomain, such as docs.company.com,blog.company.com, en.company.com, or even a multi-level subdomain, such as blog.en.company.com.

Netlify DNS supports standalone subdomains

Netlify DNS supports standalone subdomains, such as blog.company.com or en.company.com. This allows you to get the benefits of Netlify DNS for a web project without needing to change the DNS provider for the apex domain. So your company can keep their original DNS provider for the apex domain company.com while your docs.company.com benefits from Netlify DNS. Learn more about standalone subdomains.

Extra help

Apex domains vs. subdomains

Apex domain (company.com): A root domain without any subdomain prefix. This is the base domain you registered.

Subdomain (www.company.com): A domain with a prefix before the root domain. The 'www' is the most common subdomain prefix.

Why does domain type matter for external DNS?

When using external DNS providers, we strongly recommend making a www subdomain, such as www.company.com, your primary domain instead of the apex domain company.com. While you can make the apex domain primary, this configuration can significantly impact website performance due to DNS resolution limitations with third-party providers.

This limitation only applies to external DNS setups. With Netlify DNS, both apex and subdomain configurations perform equally well due to our optimized infrastructure.

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Are you setting up a domain for an Enterprise account with the High-Performance Edge Network?

Yes

This setup is for an Enterprise account with the High-Performance Edge Network.

No

This setup is not for an Enterprise account or this setup is not for an Enterprise account with the High-Performance Edge Network.

Extra help

How do I know if I have the High Performance Edge Network?

You can check out your Enterprise plan details from the Netlify Dashboard when you go to Usage & billing and check under "Plan details".

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Is this setup for an Enterprise account with the High-Performance Edge Network?

Yes

This is an Enterprise account with the High-Performance Edge Network.

No

This is not an Enterprise account with the High-Performance Edge Network.

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Does your DNS service support some form of CNAME records on the apex domain (this has many names like ALIAS records or "CNAME-flattening")?

This determines whether your DNS provider can handle CNAME-like records for your root domain.

Yes

My DNS service supports ALIAS records, CNAME-flattening, or similar functionality for the apex domain.

No

My DNS service does not support CNAME-like functionality for the apex domain.

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Does your DNS provider support some form of CNAME records for the apex domain?

This can have many names, such as ALIAS records or "CNAME-flattening". We recommend checking your external DNS provider settings or docs to check.

Yes

My DNS provider supports ALIAS records, CNAME-flattening, or similar functionality for the apex domain.

No

My DNS provider does not support CNAME-like functionality for the apex domain.

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Set up Netlify DNS for your domain

Configure your domain to use Netlify DNS for streamlined management and automatic SSL certificates.

Open Netlify DNS setup docs

Need troubleshooting help?

Get help from our DNS & Domains troubleshooting tips or get AI-powered help through Ask Netlify, which draws answers from our official Support guides.

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Connect your external DNS to Netlify

Keep using your current DNS provider while pointing your domain to Netlify for hosting.

External DNS setup docs Add domain to Netlify

External DNS considerations

You'll need to manually configure DNS records at your current provider

SSL certificates may require additional verification steps

Some advanced Netlify features work best with Netlify DNS

You can always migrate to Netlify DNS later

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Check if your domain is assigned to your project

Let's help you verify whether your domain is already connected to your Netlify site and get you to the right next step.

Check your domain settings Learn about domain setup

How to check domain assignment

Go to your site's domain settings in the Netlify dashboard

Look for your domain name in the 'Domain management' section

If your domain appears there, it's already assigned to your site

If it doesn't appear, you'll need to add it first before setting up DNS

Extra help

What if my domain is already assigned?

If your domain is already assigned to your site, you can proceed with DNS setup. Return to the previous step and select 'Yes, I have' to continue with Netlify DNS configuration.

What if my domain isn't assigned?

If your domain isn't assigned, you'll need to add it to your site first. Use the 'Add domain to your site' button above, or return to the previous step and select 'No, I haven't' for step-by-step guidance.

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Configure external DNS for Netlify's High-Performance Edge Network.

For Enterprise accounts with the High-Performance Edge Network, please reach out to Netlify Support or your Enterprise Account Manager for specific DNS configuration instructions tailored to your setup.

Extra help

How do I find my team slug?

Your team slug is found in your Netlify dashboard URL. For example, if your team dashboard is at https://app.netlify.com/teams/awesome-company, then your team slug is awesome-company.

Need extra setup help?

For additional help, consider checking out your external DNS provider docs, our External DNS setup docs, or you can reach out to your Enterprise Account Manager or Netlify Support.

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Configure external DNS with CNAME support for our standard network

Set up your external DNS provider using ALIAS or CNAME-flattening functionality for your apex domain.

1. Go to your DNS provider dashboard. In most cases, this will be your domain registrar's dashboard. If you need help figuring out which third-party DNS provider you're using, you can reach out to Netlify Support for help.

2. If your DNS provider supports ALIAS records, then for the apex domain, point the "alias" to apex-loadbalancer.netlify.com. If your DNS provider does **not** support ALIAS records, then for the apex domain, create an A record that points to 75.2.60.5.

3. For the www (or any other subdomain) make a CNAME record that points to site-name.netlify.app.

4. You may need to wait up to 48 hours for your DNS updates to propagate or take full effect. To check if DNS propagation is complete, you can use a DNS lookup tool, such as DNSChecker, Google Dig Lookup, or use the dig command in your terminal. For example, you can check your DNS propagation by running dig company.com and dig www.company.com in your terminal.

Extra help

What is an ALIAS record?

An ALIAS record (also called ANAME or CNAME flattening) allows you to point your apex domain to another domain name, similar to a CNAME record. Different DNS providers use different names for this functionality.

How do I find my site name or project name?

Your site name is your project name, which you can customize in your project settings. It's visible in your Netlify dashboard and in your default .netlify.app URL. For example, if your site URL is https://my-project.netlify.app, then your site name is my-project.

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Configure external DNS without CNAME support for our standard network

Set up your external DNS provider to point your apex domain and/or www subdomain without CNAME support for our standard network.

1. Go to your external DNS provider dashboard. Most often this will be your domain registrar's dashboard. If you need help figuring out which third-party DNS provider you're using, you can reach out to Netlify Support for help.

2. For your apex domain, create an A record that points to 75.2.60.5.

3. For your www subdomain, create a CNAME record that points to {site-name}.netlify.app, where site-name is your project name.

4. You may need to wait up to 48 hours for your DNS updates to propagate or take full effect. To check if DNS propagation is complete, you can use a DNS lookup tool, such as DNSChecker, Google Dig Lookup, or use the dig command in your terminal. For example, you can check your DNS propagation by running dig company.com and dig www.company.com in your terminal.

Extra help

Why use different configurations for apex vs www?

Apex domains require A records pointing to IP addresses, while subdomains can use CNAME records pointing to other domain names. This is a DNS standard that applies to all DNS providers.

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Set up DNS record for your Enterprise High-Performance Edge Network

For Enterprise accounts with the High-Performance Edge Network, please reach out to Netlify Support or your Enterprise Account Manager for specific DNS configuration instructions tailored to your subdomain setup.

Common questions

Where do I find my team slug?

Your team slug can be found in your Netlify dashboard URL. For example, if your team URL is https://app.netlify.com/teams/my-company, your team slug is my-company.

How long does DNS propagation take?

DNS changes typically propagate within 24-48 hours, but can sometimes take up to 72 hours to fully propagate worldwide.

Why use different configurations for apex vs www?

Apex domains require A records pointing to IP addresses, while subdomains can use CNAME records pointing to other domain names. This is a DNS standard that applies to all DNS providers.

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Set up DNS records with CNAME support

Configure DNS records using your provider's CNAME-like functionality for the apex domain.

External DNS setup docs

DNS record instructions

For the apex domain, point the "alias" to apex-loadbalancer.netlify.com.

For the www (or any other subdomain) make a CNAME record that points to site-name.netlify.app

Common questions

What is an ALIAS record?

An ALIAS record (also called ANAME or CNAME flattening) allows you to point your apex domain to another domain name, similar to a CNAME record. Different DNS providers use different names for this functionality.

How do I find my site name or project name?

Your site name is your project name, which you can customize in your site settings. It's visible in your site dashboard and in your default .netlify.app URL. For example, if your site URL is https://my-project.netlify.app, then your site name is my-project.

How long does DNS propagation take?

DNS changes typically propagate within 24-48 hours, but can sometimes take up to 72 hours to fully propagate worldwide.

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Set up DNS records without CNAME support

Configure A and CNAME records at your DNS provider to point your domain to Netlify.

External DNS setup docs

DNS record instructions

For the apex make an A record that points to 75.2.60.5.

For www make a CNAME that points to site-name.netlify.app.

Extra help

How do I find my site name or project name?

Your site name is your project name, which you can customize in your site settings. It's visible in your site dashboard and in your default .netlify.app URL. For example, if your site URL is https://my-project.netlify.app, then your site name is my-project.

How long does DNS propagation take?

DNS changes typically propagate within 24-48 hours, but can sometimes take up to 72 hours to fully propagate worldwide.

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Configure external DNS for your subdomain with our standard network

Set up a CNAME record to point your subdomain to Netlify.

1. Go to your External DNS provider dashboard. Most often this will be your domain registrar's dashboard. If you need help figuring out which third-party DNS provider you're using, you can reach out to Netlify Support for help.

2. Make a CNAME record that points to project-name.netlify.app, where project-name is your project name (for example, if your Netlify project URL is https://my-project.netlify.app, then your site name is my-project).

3. You may need to wait up to 48 hours for your DNS updates to propagate or take full effect. To check if DNS propagation is complete, you can use a DNS lookup tool, such as DNSChecker, Google Dig Lookup, or use the dig command in your terminal.

Extra help

What if my subdomain doesn't work?

Make sure you've added your custom domain to your Netlify site first, and that the CNAME record points exactly to your site's subdomain followed by .netlify.app. Check for typos in the DNS configuration and don't make your records point to https://.

How can I get more help?

If you have an Enterprise account, be sure to reach out to your Account Manager. Otherwise, you can reach out to Netlify Support if you still need help.

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Domain setup options

To review your domain options, check out our Understand domains or domains glossary docs.

I want to set up …	Docs
a new custom domain	Register and buy a new custom domain with the option to manage it with Netlify DNS Why Netlify DNS?
a custom domain for my site/app that I already own, such as company.com or shop.company.com	Bring your own domain
Netlify DNS	Set up Netlifly DNS
just a standalone subdomain, such as docs.company.com, where company.com is a domain managed or hosted outside of Netlify and where docs.company.com is managed by Netlify DNS for your production branch	Delegate a standalone subdomain
just https for my domain or an SSL certificate	HTTPS SSL
An alias domain or an additional custom domain since my site/app on Netlify already has a primary domain	Add an alias domain
A domain redirect	Add domain redirect
A domain transfer	Transfer a domain
A shared custom subdomain for preview environments of my site/app, such as early-access.company.com instead of the default Netlify subdomain of yoursitename.netlify.app so I can use tools requiring shared subdomains with the production URL	Configure an automatic subdomain for deploys

Domain migration best practices

To keep your site/app running smoothly while you migrate your domain, check out this blog post on Migrating a domain to Netlify.

Custom help

You can also use Ask Netlify to ask specific questions about your domain setup needs.

Let us know in the docs feedback form comments below if you’d like to see a guide for your specific domain scenario.