--- title: Custom Domains description: 'Connect your own domain (e.g. yourdomain.com) to a deployment on Needle Cloud, so visitors reach your 3D app on your own address with automatic HTTPS.' --- ![Custom Domains](/cloud/custom-domains-header.webp) # Custom Domains ::: warning Draft This feature is rolling out. Details (especially the exact DNS records) may still change. ::: Connect a **subdomain of your own domain** — like `www.yourdomain.com` or `viewer.yourdomain.com` — to a Needle Cloud deployment. Visitors then reach your 3D app on your own address, with a TLS certificate issued and renewed automatically. No server setup, no certificate management. *(Root domains like `yourdomain.com` are supported too, via a redirect — see [Root / apex domains](#root-apex-domains).)* ::: tip Requirements - A **[Pro plan](https://needle.tools/pricing)** (custom domains are a Pro feature). - A **deployment** to connect the domain to. - Access to your domain's **DNS settings** (at your registrar / DNS provider). ::: ## How it works (in one minute) A deployment is normally served at `your-project.needle.run`. Connecting a custom domain adds a second address that points at the same deployment. You prove you own the domain and point it at us by adding a couple of **DNS records** at your provider; we then issue the HTTPS certificate and start serving your domain. ## Connect a domain 1. Open your **deployment** in [Needle Cloud](https://cloud.needle.tools) and find the **Custom domains** section. 2. Enter a **subdomain** (e.g. `www.yourdomain.com`) and click **Connect**. *(For a root domain like `yourdomain.com`, see [Root / apex domains](#root-apex-domains).)* 3. The domain appears as **Validating…** with a short list of **DNS records to add**. 4. Add those records at your DNS provider (see below), then click **Verify**. 5. Once your records are in place and verified, the status turns **Active** — your domain is live with HTTPS. ✅ ## Adding the DNS records You add the records wherever you manage your domain's DNS (your **registrar** or DNS provider — e.g. Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, IONOS, Squarespace). DNS changes can take a few minutes to a couple of hours to take effect (*propagation*). ### The routing record — a CNAME on a subdomain Connect a **subdomain** — `www.yourdomain.com`, `viewer.yourdomain.com`, `app.yourdomain.com` — and add the **CNAME** record shown in the connect dialog. That's the routing done; the subdomain now points at your deployment. ::: tip Prefer a subdomain A subdomain is the recommended (and simplest) way to connect a custom domain — one `CNAME` and it just works. Want visitors to reach your **root** domain (`yourdomain.com`) too? See [Root / apex domains](#root-apex-domains) below. ::: ### The verification records Alongside the routing record, the connect dialog shows two more records that let us issue and **auto-renew** your certificate: - a **TXT** record at `_cf-custom-hostname.…` — proves you control the domain. - a **CNAME** record at `_acme-challenge.…` → `…dcv.cloudflare.com` — delegates certificate validation to us, so renewals happen automatically and you never have to touch this again. **Add every record exactly as shown** — use the **copy** button next to each value to avoid typos. ## Root / apex domains A **root** (or *apex*) domain is the bare domain with no subdomain — `yourdomain.com`. By a DNS rule, a root domain **can't be a `CNAME`**, so it can't be pointed at Needle Cloud directly. Use your root domain in two steps: 1. **Connect a subdomain** — usually `www.yourdomain.com` — exactly as above (CNAME + verification records → **Active**). This serves your app. *(In the connect dialog, if you type a root domain we'll offer a one-click "Use `www.…`" to do this for you.)* 2. **Redirect the root to the subdomain.** At your registrar / DNS provider, set up a **301 (permanent) redirect** so `yourdomain.com` → `https://www.yourdomain.com/`, and **enable HTTPS** on the forward — often labeled **"SSL"** (or "Let's Encrypt") — so `https://yourdomain.com` doesn't show a certificate warning. Most providers offer this under "URL forwarding" / "redirect" — e.g. **all-inkl** "Weiterleitung", **Porkbun** / **Namecheap** "URL forwarding", **Cloudflare** "Redirect Rules". Choose **permanent (301)**, not temporary — it's the SEO-correct choice. Now visitors typing `yourdomain.com` are sent to `www.yourdomain.com`, which serves your app. This is standard practice — much of the web canonicalises to `www`. ::: tip Need your bare root domain to serve directly? Serving a root domain *directly* — so the address stays `yourdomain.com`, with no redirect — needs a dedicated setup and isn't available on the standard plan. If that matters for your project, [get in touch](mailto:hi@needle.tools) and we'll help you find the best option. For now, the **subdomain + redirect** above is the reliable path that works everywhere today. ::: ## Email is unaffected Connecting a custom domain only changes where **web** traffic for that name goes. Your **email** (the `MX` records) keeps working as before — connecting a domain to Needle Cloud does not touch it. ## Troubleshooting ### Stuck on "Validating…"? Let us check for you When a domain isn't verifying, click **Verify** — we run a live DNS check and tell you, per record, exactly what's wrong: not found yet, the wrong value, blocked by a wildcard, or entered with your domain accidentally doubled (see below). You usually don't have to debug DNS by hand. ### Don't include your domain in the record name Many DNS providers **add your domain automatically** to whatever you type in a record's *name* field. If you paste the full name shown (e.g. `_acme-challenge.yourdomain.com`), it can end up **doubled** — `_acme-challenge.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com` — and we'll never find it. Enter only the **label** (the part before your domain, e.g. `_acme-challenge`); the provider appends the rest. If you're unsure, add it and click **Verify** — we'll tell you if it landed at the wrong name. ### Cloudflare: use "DNS only" (grey cloud) If your domain is on **Cloudflare**, set the routing record to **DNS only** (grey cloud), not **Proxied** (orange cloud). A proxied record conflicts with the connection. ### A wildcard / catch-all is hiding your records Some DNS providers point **every** subdomain at their web server by default (a *wildcard* / catch-all). Because a DNS name can't be both a `CNAME` and a `TXT` record at the same time, that wildcard can **shadow** the `_acme-challenge` / `_cf-custom-hostname` records — so we never see them and validation gets stuck. If your domain is stuck on **Validating…**, check for a wildcard / catch-all at your DNS provider and make sure the verification records are added as **explicit** records that override it. ### Propagation takes time DNS records aren't instant. If Verify says it's not validated yet, wait a few minutes and try again. ### Enter the bare hostname, not a URL Type just the hostname (`www.yourdomain.com`) — no `http://`, no trailing slash, no path. ## What's next - **[Needle Cloud](https://cloud.needle.tools)** — manage your deployments, versions, and custom domains. - **[Deploy from Unity or Blender](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/getting-started/)** — build a 3D web app and publish it to Needle Cloud in a few clicks.