Domains & SSL

Custom Domains

Every site on Hostwares can have one or more custom domains. Add them from the site settings or via the AI assistant.

Adding a domain via Dashboard

1. Go to Dashboard → Sites → [Your Site] → Domains
2. Click Add Domain
3. Enter your domain (e.g., example.com or app.example.com)
4. Follow the DNS instructions shown
5. Wait for verification (usually 5-30 minutes)

Adding a domain via AI

"Add domain example.com to my-site"
"Configure myapp.example.com for my-site"
"Add www.example.com as an alias for my-site"

DNS Setup

Point your domain to Hostwares by adding DNS records at your domain registrar.

Root domain (example.com)

Type: A
Name: @ (or leave blank)
Value: <server-ip> (shown in your dashboard)
TTL: 3600

Subdomain (app.example.com)

Type: A
Name: app
Value: <server-ip>
TTL: 3600

WWW redirect

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: example.com (your root domain)
TTL: 3600

DNS propagation

After adding records:

• Typical time: 5-30 minutes
• Maximum: Up to 48 hours globally
• Verify: Use dig example.com +short or ask the AI "Check DNS for my-site"

Subdomains

You can assign any subdomain to any of your sites:

• api.example.com → Your API server
• app.example.com → Your frontend
• staging.example.com → Staging environment
• docs.example.com → Documentation site

Each subdomain needs its own A record pointing to the Hostwares server IP.

SSL Certificates

Free SSL certificates are automatically provisioned via Let's Encrypt.

How it works

1. You add a domain to your site
2. DNS verification confirms the domain points to Hostwares
3. Let's Encrypt issues a certificate (2-10 minutes)
4. HTTPS is enabled automatically
5. HTTP traffic is redirected to HTTPS

Certificate features

• Auto-renewal: Certificates renew 30 days before expiry
• Wildcard support: Available on Business plan (*.example.com)
• Multiple domains: Each domain gets its own certificate
• Grade A+: TLS 1.2+ with modern cipher suites

Checking SSL status

• Dashboard: Site → Domains shows certificate status
• AI: "Check SSL status for my-site"
• Browser: Click the lock icon to view certificate details

Cloudflare Setup

If using Cloudflare as your DNS provider, follow these steps carefully:

Initial setup (DNS Only mode)

1. Add your A record in Cloudflare
2. Set proxy status to DNS only (gray cloud icon)
3. Wait for Hostwares to issue the SSL certificate
4. Verify HTTPS works on your domain

After SSL is active (Enable proxy)

1. Toggle the A record to Proxied (orange cloud)
2. In Cloudflare SSL settings, set mode to Full (Strict)
3. Enable Always Use HTTPS
4. Enable Automatic HTTPS Rewrites

Common Cloudflare issues

• Redirect loops: Ensure SSL mode is "Full (Strict)", not "Flexible"
• SSL not issuing: Temporarily disable Cloudflare proxy (gray cloud)
• Mixed content: Enable "Automatic HTTPS Rewrites" in Cloudflare

Multiple Domains

A single site can have multiple domains pointing to it. Use cases:

• example.com + www.example.com (most common)
• myapp.com + myapp.co (multiple TLDs)
• old-domain.com → redirects to new-domain.com

All domains get their own SSL certificate automatically.

Popular DNS Providers

Quick links to DNS management for common registrars:

• Namecheap: Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS
• GoDaddy: My Products → DNS Management
• Cloudflare: Websites → DNS → Records
• Google Domains: DNS → Custom Records
• Route 53: Hosted Zones → Create Record

Troubleshooting

• Domain not resolving: Check A record value, wait for propagation
• SSL pending: Ensure DNS points directly to Hostwares (not proxied)
• Redirect loop: Check Cloudflare SSL mode or remove app-level redirects
• Wrong site showing: Verify domain is assigned to the correct site
• Certificate error: Try clearing browser cache or check in incognito

For detailed troubleshooting, see the Troubleshooting guide.