Add a custom domain

This walks through connecting a hostname like help.example.com or status.example.com to your Atender Knowledge Base or Status page. The work splits between Atender (declare the domain, get the DNS records) and your DNS provider (add those records). TLS is automatic once DNS resolves.

Before you start

• A role with the Custom Domains permission (Owner has this by default; other roles need it granted).
• Access to your DNS provider for the domain you’ll use — typically Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, or your registrar’s panel.
• A subdomain to use. Atender doesn’t support apex domains (example.com); pick something like help.example.com or status.example.com.
• A few minutes for DNS to propagate, plus a few more for TLS issuance.

Steps

1. Open Custom Domains

Go to Settings → Custom Domains. You’ll see the list of domains your tenant has already connected (empty if this is your first one).

2. Add the domain

1. Click Add domain.
2. Hostname — enter the subdomain you want to connect, e.g. help.example.com. Use the full hostname, not just the prefix.
3. Product — pick which Atender surface this hostname will serve:
   Knowledge Base for the public help center.
   Status page for the public status page.

You can connect different hostnames to different products in the same tenant; this is a per-domain choice. 4. Click Save.

Atender provisions the edge mapping and returns the DNS records you need to add.

3. Add the DNS records at your provider

Atender shows the records to add. The exact set varies but typically includes:

• One traffic record (usually an A record) pointing your hostname at Atender’s edge cluster IP.
• One or more DCV records (TXT or CNAME) that the TLS certificate provider uses to confirm you control the domain.

Copy the Name and Value for each record exactly as shown — the Copy buttons next to each one help here.

Open your DNS provider and add every record. A few provider-specific notes:

• Cloudflare — set the proxy status to DNS only (gray cloud), not proxied. Atender’s edge needs to terminate TLS itself; proxying through Cloudflare breaks that.
• Route 53 — use the CNAME or A record types as shown. Don’t use Route 53’s “Alias” mode for the traffic record.
• GoDaddy / generic registrars — a TTL of 600 (10 minutes) or 1 hour is fine while you’re setting up. Avoid 24-hour TTLs — they make iterating slow if you mis-paste a value.

If your DNS panel already has a record at the same name (a leftover CNAME pointing somewhere else, say), replace it.

4. Watch the status

Back in Settings → Custom Domains, the domain row shows its current state. The progression is:

1. Awaiting DNS — Atender is polling for the records. Once they resolve to the expected values, the status advances.
2. Issuing certificate — DNS verified. The TLS certificate is being issued by the certificate provider. Usually another few minutes.
3. Active — Done. The hostname is live and serving HTTPS.

Refresh the page periodically. Most domains move all the way to Active within 10–15 minutes, sometimes longer depending on DNS provider propagation. If you don’t want to wait for the next poll, click Re-check DNS on the domain row — this forces a fresh check (rate-limited to about every 30 seconds).

5. Test it

Open https://<your-domain>/ in a browser. You should see the Atender surface (Knowledge Base or Status page) served from your hostname, with a valid TLS certificate (no browser warning).

If you get a certificate warning, the cert hasn’t finished issuing — wait another minute and refresh. If the status row still shows Issuing certificate, that’s expected; come back when it’s Active.

Verify it worked

• Settings → Custom Domains shows the row with status Active.
• https://<your-domain>/ loads the correct surface with a valid HTTPS certificate.
• For Knowledge Base — articles, categories, and search all work from the custom hostname.
• For Status page — the live incidents list, components, and subscriber dialog all render correctly.

Troubleshooting

If the domain doesn’t reach Active, see Troubleshoot a failed domain for the full set of common causes and fixes.

The most common single issue: Cloudflare proxy turned on. The orange cloud breaks TLS termination at the Atender edge. Switch to DNS only (gray cloud) on the records you added.

Removing a custom domain

In Settings → Custom Domains, click the trash icon on the domain row. Atender stops serving traffic for that hostname immediately. The default Atender URL for that product keeps working.

Don’t forget to remove the DNS records at your provider after — leaving a stale record pointing to an unused edge is a minor security smell and can be confusing later.

See also

• What are Custom Domains?
• Troubleshoot a failed domain
• Help and Status on the same base domain