Configuration and domains
Connect a custom domain
Add a domain, configure the exact DNS records Vercel requests, verify ownership, and confirm HTTPS and canonical routing.
8 minute lesson
A custom domain is an alias that routes to a deployment environment. DNS must prove and direct that relationship before traffic can arrive.
Add the exact hostname in project settings and follow the displayed record instructions; apex and subdomain requirements can differ. Avoid copying values from an old tutorial. Wait for DNS propagation and certificate issuance, then test both HTTP and HTTPS plus www and apex behavior. Choose one canonical host and redirect the other deliberately.
Separate the control planes during diagnosis. The registrar owns delegation, the DNS provider publishes records, Vercel verifies the hostname and serves the certificate, and the project assigns the domain to a deployment environment. A browser error does not tell you which step failed.
Use dig or another DNS query to inspect the public record, then curl -I to inspect redirect and HTTPS behavior. Record the previous DNS values before changing them and lower TTL ahead of a planned migration when appropriate. Domain rollback can restore routing, but DNS caches take time, so keep the old deployment healthy until the change has settled.
Use a domain or disposable subdomain you control, add it to the project, configure its DNS, and inspect resolution before opening it in a browser.
Lesson completed