Use your own web address

Your app starts with a free yourappname.emergent.host address. A custom domain replaces that with your own name - like myapp.com - so visitors see your brand in the address bar.

Buying vs bringing your own

You have two paths:

Already own a domain? (e.g., you bought myapp.com from Namecheap or GoDaddy) Skip ahead to the connection steps below.
Need to buy one? Head to any domain registrar - Namecheap, Google Domains, Cloudflare - search for your name, and check out. You'll manage DNS records in the next step at that same site. Emergent also provides the option for you to buy domains on the platform itself.(Preview → Manage → Domain→Buy your domain)

DNS is the internet phonebook - it tells browsers which server hosts your domain. An A record is one line in that phonebook: "this name points to this server address." Updating DNS records can take a few minutes to a couple of hours to reach everyone, so don't panic if your domain doesn't work instantly.

Connect your domain

The recommended method is Auto-Link, which configures your DNS automatically. If you prefer to set records manually, follow the steps below.

In your Emergent workspace, go to Preview → Manage → Domain and find Link your domain here → add your domain there and click Link manually (click Auto-Link here instead if you want automatic linking). The panel will show you two shared A record values. Log in to your domain registrar (wherever you bought the domain). Find the DNS settings page and create two A records:

First A record:

Host / Name: @ (or leave blank)
Type: A
Value: 162.159.142.117
TTL: Auto or 3600

Second A record:

Host / Name: @ (or leave blank)
Type: A
Value: 172.66.2.113
TTL: Auto or 3600

Save the records.

Most visitors type www.myapp.com. Create a CNAME record so both versions work:

Host / Name: www
Type: CNAME
Value: myapp.com (your root domain, no http://)
TTL: Auto or 3600

Save this record too.

Back in the Domain panel on Emergent, enter your domain (e.g., myapp.com) and click Check Status. Emergent checks for the A records and will set up an SSL certificate automatically - usually within a few minutes, occasionally up to 24 hours if DNS is slow. After DNS propagates, https://myapp.com and https://www.myapp.com will both load your app. Emergent automatically redirects one to the other so you don't end up with duplicate content.

Note for Cloudflare users: If your DNS is managed on Cloudflare, ensure your A records remain set to DNS-only (gray cloud) permanently. Enabling the orange cloud (proxy) will cause Error 1014.

If you ever take the app offline

Shutting down a live app removes the custom-domain link, and it is not restored automatically when you publish again, you'll re-add the domain here in the Domain tab. See the Taking your app offline section of Put your app live.

If your domain won't load

Check your DNS records - Use a tool like dnschecker.org to confirm both A records point to the Emergent shared IPs and the CNAME points to your root domain. Fix any typos at your registrar.

Wait a bit longer - DNS can take 1-2 hours (rarely up to 48 hours) to update everywhere. Check again in an incognito window to rule out browser caching.

Look at the status badge - In Preview → Manage → Domain, click the refresh status icon. Your custom domain row shows Pending, Linked, or Failed. If it shows Failed, review your DNS records for any mismatch.

Clear your local cache - Your computer remembers old DNS lookups. On Windows run ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt; on macOS run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache in Terminal.

Every DNS provider's dashboard looks different. If you can't find the A record or CNAME section, search "[your registrar name] add DNS record" - most have a step-by-step guide.

Go deeper: Custom domain