Pointing your domain at Cladior
The record
Whatever your registrar calls the fields, you are creating this:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | CNAME |
| Host / Name | api |
| Value / Target / Answer | proxy.cladior.com |
| TTL | Automatic, or the lowest offered |
api is an example. It can be anything you like, and whatever you
choose is the address your users will visit. If you pick api and
your domain is yourname.com, your app lives at api.yourname.com.
The two mistakes
Almost every failed setup is one of these, and neither announces itself.
Putting the whole domain in the host field
The host field wants the part in front, so api, not api.yourname.com. Every registrar on this page appends the rest
for you. Type the full name and you get api.yourname.com.yourname.com, which resolves to nothing and
gives no hint as to why.
Leaving Cloudflare's proxy switched on
This one only applies if Cloudflare manages your DNS, and it is the most common support question we get. Cloudflare shows an orange cloud next to each record. Orange means Cloudflare answers the request itself before anything reaches us. Click it so it turns grey and reads DNS only.
Left orange, the address still works, which is what makes it awkward. Your users get a page, so nothing looks broken. The requests just never reach Cladior, so nothing is metered and you earn nothing from them.
Where the button is
Namecheap
Domain List, then Manage on the domain, then the Advanced DNS tab. Under Host Records choose Add New Record and pick CNAME Record. The fields are called Host and Value.
GoDaddy
My Products, find the domain, then DNS. Choose Add New Record and pick CNAME. The fields are called Name and Value.
Porkbun
Domain Management, then Details, then the DNS section. The fields are called Host and Answer.
Cloudflare
Select the domain, then DNS, then Add record. The fields are called Name and Target. Set Proxy status to DNS only before saving, as above.
Use a subdomain, not the bare domain
Point api.yourname.com at us rather than yourname.com on its own. The bare domain is the one registrars handle inconsistently, since
the DNS standard does not allow a CNAME there and each provider works around
it differently. A subdomain avoids the whole question, and it leaves your main
site where it is.
How long it takes
Usually a few minutes. It can take up to an hour, and occasionally longer if your old record had a long TTL, because resolvers keep serving the previous answer until it expires.
You do not have to guess. The dashboard checks the record for you and tells you what it currently sees, so if something is wrong you find out from us rather than from a user.