How to connect a custom domain to a website
You don't move your domain anywhere. You add one or two DNS records where the domain is managed, the website host checks you control the name and issues a certificate, and visitors start reaching the site. The whole job is usually ten minutes of work and a short wait.
What connecting a domain actually changes
A domain has two separate relationships: the registrar, where you pay for the name each year, and the DNS provider, which answers the question "where does this name point?". Often they're the same company, but not always. If you moved your DNS to a service such as Cloudflare, that's where you make changes, even though you still renew the name at the registrar. Connecting a domain to a website only touches DNS. Your email, your registration and any other subdomains stay as they are, unless you delete records they rely on.
Choose the hostname first
Decide which exact name the site will live on. A subdomain such as www.yourcompany.com or book.yourcompany.com can point anywhere with a CNAME record, which is what most website builders and hosts ask for. The bare domain (yourcompany.com, also called the root or apex) is harder: DNS rules don't allow a CNAME there, because the apex already carries other records. Some DNS providers work around this with CNAME flattening or ALIAS records. The CNAME vs A record guide explains the difference in detail.
For most small sites, www is the simplest choice. If you also want the bare domain to work, set up a redirect from it to www at your DNS provider or registrar, if they offer one, or connect it separately where your provider supports flattening.
Connecting a domain in Anticode
Custom domains are part of Anticode's paid plans (see pricing). The site has to be published first, because a domain points at a live site.
- Open the project in the builder, go to the Domains section of the console, and type the hostname under Connect a domain, for example
www.yourcompany.com. Leave outhttps://and any path. Press Connect. - Anticode shows a table of records to add: a CNAME for your hostname pointing at Anticode's target, and sometimes a TXT record used to verify you own the name. Each value has a Copy button.
- In a new tab, sign in where your domain's DNS is managed and open its DNS settings. Add each record exactly as shown. Paste the name and value rather than retyping them.
- Remove any existing record for the same hostname first. A
wwwthat already has an A record or another CNAME will conflict with the new one. - Back in Anticode, press Check again. The status reads Waiting for DNS until the records are found, then Live once ownership is verified and the certificate is issued.
- Open the address in a private window and check the padlock. HTTPS is set up for you; there's nothing to install.
Behind the scenes, verification and the certificate are handled through Cloudflare for SaaS. A hostname can only be connected to one site, and Anticode won't accept a name under its own domains, so nobody can point a name they don't control at your site.
How long it takes, and why it varies
New records usually resolve within a few minutes, but it can take up to a day. The delay comes from caching: resolvers keep the old answer for the record's TTL (time to live), so if a previous record had a long TTL, some visitors will see the old destination until it expires. Lowering the TTL a day before a planned switch shortens that window. Certificates follow once the record resolves, typically soon after.
Check it yourself
- Look up the record. On a Mac or Linux terminal run
dig www.yourcompany.com CNAME +short; on Windows runnslookup -type=CNAME www.yourcompany.com. The answer should be the target Anticode showed. - Try another resolver.
dig @1.1.1.1 www.yourcompany.comasks Cloudflare's public resolver directly, which skips your own network's cache. - Load the site over HTTPS. If the page loads but the browser warns about the certificate, wait a little and check again; issuance follows verification.
Common mistakes
- Adding the record at the registrar when DNS lives elsewhere. Check the domain's nameservers. If they point to another provider, records added at the registrar are ignored.
- Doubling the domain in the name field. Many DNS panels add the domain for you, so typing
www.yourcompany.comas the name createswww.yourcompany.com.yourcompany.com. Type justwwwif the panel shows the domain already. - Leaving a proxy switched on. Some DNS providers can proxy a record through their own network instead of just answering with it. If verification stalls, set the record to DNS only and check again.
- Deleting email records. Never remove MX, SPF or DKIM records while tidying up. They control your email, not your website.
Limits
Anticode connects domains you already own; you register the name with a registrar of your choice. Free plans publish only to name.anticode.dev, and each paid plan allows a set number of connected domains. A bare domain works only if your DNS provider supports CNAME flattening or ALIAS records. Removing a domain in the Domains section disconnects it at once, so visitors on that name stop seeing the site.
Questions people ask
Do I have to transfer my domain to connect it?
No. You keep it where it's registered and only add DNS records. Transfers are for changing who you pay for the name, which is a separate decision.
Will connecting a domain break my email?
Not if you only add the records you're given and leave MX and other email records alone. Email and websites use different DNS records.
Why does Anticode say Couldn't verify?
Usually the record has a typo, sits at the wrong DNS provider, or conflicts with an existing record. Check it with dig or nslookup, fix it, then remove the domain and add it again.