When you host your application with Kinsta, you’ll need to add and point your domain to us to deliver your application to visitors.
Cloudflare vs. Non-Cloudflare Domains
Users with active Cloudflare accounts of their own require a different setup than those who do not have an active Cloudflare account to maintain compatibility between the two Cloudflare zones (their Cloudflare account and our free Cloudflare integration).
- If your domain is already connected to Cloudflare through your own active Cloudflare account, then it is considered a “Cloudflare domain.”
- If your domain has no connection to Cloudflare (proxy or DNS), then it is considered a “non-Cloudflare domain.”
If your application doesn’t use a Cloudflare domain, continue reading here for instructions on how to add and point your domain to Kinsta. If you already use Cloudflare, see our How To Add a Cloudflare Domain guide for instructions on how to add and point your non-Cloudflare domain to Kinsta.
Add and Verify Your Domain in MyKinsta
Add Domain
Click Applications > appname > Domains > Add domain. Enter your domain name and click Add domain.
Verify Domain
You need to verify ownership of your domain in order to use Kinsta’s free Cloudflare integration. To verify a new domain, you need to add two TXT records to your domain’s DNS. Your DNS provider is where your domain’s name servers are pointed to. This may be your domain’s registrar but could be another DNS provider.
If you’re using Kinsta’s DNS, go to DNS in MyKinsta and add the new TXT records.
If you’re using a different DNS provider, log in to your DNS provider’s management panel and add the new TXT records.
Once you’ve added the TXT records at your DNS provider, in MyKinsta, click OK, I’ve Done It.
Depending on your DNS provider, the TXT records may take up to 24 hours to propagate.
Point Domain
When your domain is successfully verified, you can point the domain. This shows the Site IP address for your domain’s A record.
For more detailed information on updating DNS at some popular registrars and DNS managers, check out these articles:
- How to Add A Record with GoDaddy
- How to Add an A Record and CNAME at Bluehost
- How to Add A Record with Namecheap
Point Root Domain
At your DNS provider, remove any existing A, AAAA, or CNAME records and add a new A record pointing to your Site IP Address. To point your root domain, leave the Hostname field blank. To point a subdomain, specify your subdomain in the Hostname field.
Once you’ve added the A record at your DNS provider, in MyKinsta, click OK, I’ve done it.
Point WWW Domain
In addition to the A record for your root domain, we also recommend you point the www version of your domain to Kinsta (if you haven’t already). You’ll need to add the www version of the domain to MyKinsta and repeat the steps to verify and point the www subdomain.
Troubleshooting the Fix Domain Error
During the domain verification process, if a Fix domain error button appears next to the domain, this means a CAA record conflict is occurring.
A CAA record is an optional DNS record that lets you specify which certificate authorities (CAs) are allowed to issue SSL certificates for your domain. If a domain has no CAA records, any CA can generate an SSL certificate for it if requested. If a domain has a CAA record, only the CA(s) specified in the CA record can generate an SSL certificate for the domain.
To resolve this error, click the Fix domain error button and update the CAA record as indicated in the modal/pop-up. Alternatively, if you do not need a CAA record on your domain, you can remove the CAA record.