Custom Domains

Connect your own domain to a published Tell Archi project: root domain, subdomain, DNS setup, verification, and client domain workflows.

Tell Archi lets you connect your own custom domain to a published project.

Instead of sharing an Tell Archi-provided project URL, you can launch your website or application at an address such as:

yourcompany.com

or:

app.yourcompany.com

Tell Archi continues hosting your application while your custom domain becomes the address your users see.

Build with Tell Archi. Publish with Tell Archi. Launch on your own domain.

What Is a Custom Domain?

When you first publish a project, Tell Archi provides a live URL you can use to access and share it.

A custom domain lets you replace that public-facing address with a domain you own.

For example:

Tell Archi Project
     ↓
Publish
     ↓
Tell Archi Hosting
     ↓
yourcompany.com

Your application remains hosted by Tell Archi.

The domain simply provides your branded address.

Before You Start

You'll need:

Your domain may be registered with providers such as Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or another domain registrar/DNS provider.

You don't need to transfer ownership of the domain to Tell Archi.

You only need to configure the required DNS records.

Root Domains and Subdomains

You can connect a root domain or use a subdomain depending on how you want your application to be accessed.

Root domain

yourcompany.com

This is useful when the Tell Archi project is your primary website.

For example:

acmeconstruction.com

Subdomain

app.yourcompany.com

This is useful when your main website already exists somewhere else.

For example:

www.acme.com

could remain your marketing website, while:

app.acme.com

points to your Tell Archi application.

Other examples include:

portal.yourcompany.com

members.yourcompany.com

dashboard.yourcompany.com

book.yourcompany.com

clients.yourcompany.com

Choose the structure that fits your product.

Connect a Custom Domain

First, publish your Tell Archi project.

Then open the publishing/domain settings for the project and choose the option to connect a custom domain.

Tell Archi Custom Domain

Enter the domain or subdomain you want to use.

For example:

app.yourcompany.com

Tell Archi will provide the DNS information required to connect your domain.

Configure Your DNS

Your domain's DNS tells browsers where your application is hosted.

After entering your domain in Tell Archi, you'll be given the DNS record or records required for the connection.

Tell Archi Dns Records

Open the DNS management area at the provider managing your domain.

Add the records exactly as Tell Archi provides them.

Understanding DNS Records

Depending on the domain configuration, you may encounter records such as:

A

or:

CNAME

A CNAME commonly maps a hostname such as:

app.yourcompany.com

to another hostname.

An A record maps a hostname to an IP address.

You don't need to understand the networking behind these records to connect your domain.

The important part is to copy the exact values Tell Archi provides into your DNS provider.

Example: Connecting a Subdomain

Suppose your company owns:

acme.com

Your existing marketing website is already running at:

www.acme.com

You build a customer portal with Tell Archi and want it available at:

portal.acme.com

Inside Tell Archi, add:

portal.acme.com

as your custom domain.

Tell Archi provides the required DNS configuration.

You then add that configuration to the DNS settings for acme.com.

Conceptually:

Customer
   ↓
portal.acme.com
   ↓
DNS
   ↓
Tell Archi
   ↓
Customer Portal

Your existing website doesn't need to move.

Example: Business Website

Suppose you build a construction company website with Tell Archi.

You own:

buildright.com

You can connect that domain to the Tell Archi project so customers visit:

buildright.com

instead of the original project URL.

The final experience becomes:

Visitor
   ↓
buildright.com
   ↓
Tell Archi-hosted Website

Example: SaaS Application

For a SaaS business, you might separate the marketing website from the application.

For example:

tell-archiexample.com

Marketing website

and:

app.tell-archiexample.com

Web application

The application subdomain can point to the project you've built with Tell Archi.

Verify Your Domain

After adding the required DNS records, return to Tell Archi.

Tell Archi needs to detect the DNS configuration before the domain can become active.

Tell Archi Custom Domain Status

Depending on your DNS provider, changes may not appear immediately.

DNS updates can require some time to propagate.

During this period, Tell Archi may still show the domain as pending or unverified.

DNS Propagation

When you change DNS records, the update has to propagate across DNS infrastructure.

This means your domain may not start working instantly.

You might see:

DNS Updated
     ↓
Propagation
     ↓
Tell Archi Detects Record
     ↓
Domain Verified
     ↓
Domain Active

If you just added the records, allow time before assuming something is broken.

Don't Repeatedly Change DNS Records

If you've entered the exact records Tell Archi requested, avoid repeatedly deleting and recreating them while waiting for propagation.

Doing so can make troubleshooting more difficult.

Instead:

Existing DNS Records

Be careful when your domain is already being used for other services.

Your DNS may contain records for:

Don't delete unrelated records just because you're connecting an Tell Archi project.

If you're unsure, add only the records Tell Archi specifically requires.

Connecting a Client's Domain

If you're an agency, you can also connect a client's domain to the project you've built for them.

For example:

Tell Archi
 ↓
Client Website
 ↓
clientcompany.com

You'll need access to the client's DNS configuration or assistance from whoever manages their domain.

A simple agency workflow is:

Build Client Project
       ↓
Client Approval
       ↓
Publish
       ↓
Connect Client Domain
       ↓
Update DNS
       ↓
Verify
       ↓
Launch

Multiple Client Projects

If you're managing multiple projects, each client can use their own domain.

For example:

Project A
→ clienta.com

Project B
→ clientb.com

Project C
→ app.clientc.com

The domain is associated with the appropriate published project.

Your plan limits and available domain features depend on your Tell Archi plan.

Custom Domains and Hosting

Connecting a custom domain doesn't mean you're moving the application to another hosting provider.

The architecture remains:

CUSTOM DOMAIN
      ↓
Tell Archi HOSTING
      ↓
YOUR APPLICATION

Tell Archi continues hosting the published project.

This is different from exporting the application and deploying it to your own VPS.

Custom Domain vs Self-Hosting

These are two different options.

Custom domain + Tell Archi hosting

yourdomain.com
      ↓
Tell Archi
      ↓
Your Application

Tell Archi manages the hosting.

Self-hosting

Tell Archi
 ↓
Export
 ↓
Your VPS / Infrastructure
 ↓
yourdomain.com

You manage the hosting.

If your only goal is to use your own branded domain, you don't need to self-host.

Updating Your Project

Once a custom domain is connected, you can continue improving your application.

For example:

yourdomain.com
      ↓
Current Version

You make changes:

Tell Archi
 ↓
Build
 ↓
Preview
 ↓
Test
 ↓
Publish

Then the updated version becomes available through the same custom domain.

You don't need to reconnect the domain every time you publish an update.

SSL and HTTPS

Your production application should be accessed securely over HTTPS.

Once your domain is correctly connected and activated, Tell Archi's hosting infrastructure handles the secure connection for the published application.

Users should be able to access your project through an address such as:

https://yourcompany.com

Using www

You may want visitors to access:

www.yourcompany.com

instead of, or alongside:

yourcompany.com

Configure the domain arrangement supported by Tell Archi and your DNS provider.

You may also want one version to redirect to the other so users have one consistent canonical address.

For example:

www.yourcompany.com
        ↓
yourcompany.com

or the reverse.

Common Problems

Domain stays pending

If the domain remains pending, check:

Domain verification fails

Compare the record Tell Archi requested with the record currently configured at your DNS provider.

Pay particular attention to:

A small difference can prevent verification.

My domain still shows my old website

Your DNS may still point to the previous hosting provider, or the updated record may not have propagated yet.

Check the records for the specific hostname you're trying to connect.

Subdomain doesn't work

For example:

app.example.com

doesn't work while:

example.com

does.

These are different hostnames and may require different DNS configuration.

Make sure you've configured the exact subdomain entered in Tell Archi.

Domain works without www but not with www

example.com and www.example.com are separate hostnames from a DNS perspective.

Check whether both have been configured according to your intended setup.

I changed DNS but nothing happened

DNS updates aren't always immediate.

First verify that the record matches the values Tell Archi provided, then allow time for propagation.

My email stopped working

If this happened immediately after changing DNS, you may have accidentally modified records used for email.

Don't remove records such as mail-related MX records unless you specifically intend to change your email provider.

Restore the appropriate email DNS configuration through your provider if necessary.

Debugging a Custom Domain

A useful support or Debug Mode report looks like:

Domain: app.example.com

Tell Archi Status: Pending Verification

DNS Provider: [Provider]

Record Type: CNAME

Host: app

Expected Target: [VALUE SHOWN BY Tell Archi]

Current Target: [VALUE IN DNS]

The Tell Archi live URL works correctly, but the custom domain doesn't.

Help me identify the domain configuration issue.

Test After Connecting Your Domain

Once Tell Archi shows the domain as active, open it and test the application.

Check:

Don't stop testing simply because the domain resolves.

A Good Domain Setup Workflow

The complete process is:

PUBLISH PROJECT
      ↓
ADD CUSTOM DOMAIN
      ↓
COPY Tell Archi DNS RECORDS
      ↓
UPDATE DNS PROVIDER
      ↓
WAIT FOR PROPAGATION
      ↓
VERIFY DOMAIN
      ↓
TEST
      ↓
LAUNCH

Once connected, the domain becomes the branded gateway to your Tell Archi application.

Your Project. Your Brand.

Tell Archi handles the application and hosting.

Your users see your brand.

Tell Archi
  ↓
Your Application
  ↓
Your Domain
  ↓
Your Customers

This makes custom domains particularly useful for businesses, SaaS products, agencies, client projects, and production applications.

Next: Version History & Restore

Next, we'll cover Version History & Restore.

This is important because building software is iterative, and sometimes a change doesn't work the way you expected.

We'll cover:

Version History & Restore

View project versions and restore a previous version when needed.