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Custom Domains Setup Guide

Public Document • Documentation

Configure your own domain for branded short links

Related Document: API Documentation

Programmatic domain management

Custom Domains Setup Guide

Configure your own domain for branded short links

Overview

PVTLNK allows Pro and Enterprise users to use their own custom domain for short links instead of the default pvtlnk.com domain. This provides:

  • Brand consistency - Links appear to come from your domain
  • Better trust - Users recognize your domain
  • Professional appearance - No third-party domain in URLs

Requirements

Plan Availability
Starter ❌ Not available
Pro ✅ Available
Enterprise ✅ Available

Step 1: Add Your Domain

  1. Log in to your PVTLNK dashboard
  2. Navigate to Custom Domains (in the sidebar)
  3. Click Add Custom Domain
  4. Enter your domain (e.g., links.yourcompany.com)
  5. Click Save

Step 2: Configure DNS

You need to point your domain to PVTLNK’s servers using either:

Create an A record pointing to our server IP:

Type Name Value TTL
A @ YOUR_SERVER_IP 3600

Option B: CNAME Record

Create a CNAME record pointing to our domain:

Type Name Value TTL
CNAME @ pvtlnk.com 3600

Note: Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your actual server IP address. Contact support if you need this information.

Step 3: Wait for DNS Propagation

DNS changes can take 1-48 hours to propagate globally. You can check propagation status using:

```bash # Check DNS propagation dig your-domain.com

Or use an online tool

# https://dnschecker.org/ ```

Step 4: Verify Your Domain

  1. Return to Custom Domains in your dashboard
  2. Click Verify Domain
  3. If DNS is properly configured, you’ll see a success message
  4. If verification fails, check your DNS settings and try again

Step 5: Use Your Custom Domain

Once verified, you can select your custom domain when creating links:

  1. Go to Create New Link
  2. Look for the domain dropdown next to the short code field
  3. Select your custom domain
  4. Your links will now use your domain (e.g., https://links.yourcompany.com/abc123)

SSL Certificates

Automatic SSL Provisioning

  • SSL certificates are automatically provisioned via Let’s Encrypt
  • No manual configuration required
  • Certificates are renewed automatically before expiration
  • SSL is provisioned on the first HTTPS request to your domain

Troubleshooting SSL Errors

If you see ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR:

  1. Ensure your DNS A record is pointing to the correct IP
  2. Wait 1-5 minutes after DNS propagation for SSL provisioning
  3. Try accessing via HTTPS again

Subdomains vs Root Domain

Approach Example Notes
Subdomain links.yourcompany.com Recommended - easiest to set up
Root domain yourcompany.com Requires A record, works with redirects

Recommendation: Use a subdomain (e.g., links.yourcompany.com) as it’s cleaner and easier to manage.

Multiple Domains

Enterprise users can add multiple custom domains:

  1. Go to Custom Domains
  2. Click Add Another Domain
  3. Repeat DNS configuration for each domain
  4. Select which domain to use when creating links

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Verification fails Check DNS propagation with dig your-domain.com
Links not working Ensure A/CNAME record points to correct IP
SSL errors Wait 5-10 minutes after DNS changes
Domain not in dropdown Verify domain was successfully added

API Integration

You can also configure custom domains via API:

```bash # List custom domains GET /api/v1/custom_domains

Add custom domain

POST /api/v1/custom_domains { “domain”: { “name”: “links.yourcompany.com” } }

Verify domain

POST /api/v1/custom_domains/{id}/verify ```