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Connect your domain

This guide takes you from "property created" to "my own domain is served through the CDN, with SSL" — including click-by-click instructions for the most common DNS providers. If you want the underlying DNS mechanics (record forms, how verification resolves), see Configure a CNAME.

The whole flow is three steps:

  1. Add the hostname to your property in the panel.
  2. Create one CNAME record at your DNS provider.
  3. Let the panel verify it — it polls your DNS automatically and issues the certificate.

Before you start​

You need two things:

  • Your property's system hostname — the CNAME target, in the form my-site.prdrm.net. Copy it from the property's Hostnames tab (the DNS Configuration Required dialog has a copy button), or from the wizard's DNS step if you are still in guided setup.
  • A login for wherever your domain's DNS is managed. That is usually your registrar (OVH, IONOS, GoDaddy…), but if your nameservers point elsewhere — for example at Cloudflare or your hosting's cPanel — edit the DNS there instead.

Step 1 — Add the hostname in the panel​

If you used the create-property wizard's Domain step, this is already done. Otherwise, open the property, go to the Hostnames tab, click Add, and enter your hostname (for example www.example.com) — full details in Add a custom hostname.

Until DNS points at the CDN, the hostname sits in PendingValidation with a yellow badge. That is expected — the next two steps fix it.

Enter either example.com or www.example.com in the wizard's Domain step and it offers to add both hostnames (a pre-checked "Also add …" checkbox), so visitors reach your site with and without www. Deeper subdomains such as blog.example.com stay a single hostname.

Two things make the double setup easy:

  • The CNAME target is the same for both records — your system hostname (my-site.prdrm.net). You create two records that point at that one target: www → CNAME, and the root (@) → CNAME / ALIAS / flattening, depending on what your provider supports at the apex (see the apex section).
  • Each hostname gets its own free SSL certificate automatically once its DNS is verified — both www.example.com and the bare example.com end up covered because both are added as hostnames, each with its own certificate.
Plan limits

Adding both requires a plan that allows at least 2 custom hostnames per property. On plans limited to 1 custom hostname, the wizard adds only the one you typed — prefer www, it works at every DNS provider.

Step 2 — Create the CNAME at your provider​

The record is the same everywhere; only the UI differs. Replace www with your subdomain and my-site.prdrm.net with your system hostname:

Type:      CNAME
Name:      www
Points to: my-site.prdrm.net
Name field: label only

Most provider UIs want just the label (www), not the full name (www.example.com) — the zone's domain is appended automatically. cPanel is the main exception (see below).

Cloudflare​

  1. Log in at dash.cloudflare.com, pick your domain, and open DNS → Records.
  2. Click Add record: Type CNAME, Name www, Target my-site.prdrm.net.
  3. Click the orange cloud next to the record so it turns grey and reads DNS only.
  4. Save.
Turn the orange cloud OFF — "DNS only"

This is the single most common mistake. With the orange cloud on (Proxied), Cloudflare answers DNS with its own IPs, so your hostname never resolves to a Paradarum PoP — verification keeps failing, no certificate is issued, and any traffic would pass through two CDNs. The record must show the grey cloud / "DNS only" for Paradarum to serve your domain.

Cloudflare has one advantage: CNAME flattening. You may create a CNAME on the apex itself (Name @, Target my-site.prdrm.net, DNS only) and Cloudflare serves it as a synthesized A record — see the apex section below.

OVH​

  1. In the OVH control panel, go to Web Cloud → Domain names, select your domain, and open the DNS zone tab.
  2. Click Add an entry and choose CNAME.
  3. Sub-domain: www. Target: my-site.prdrm.net. — OVH requires the target as a fully-qualified name ending with a dot.
  4. Confirm. If the zone already has an A or AAAA record on www, delete it first — OVH will refuse a conflicting CNAME.

IONOS​

  1. Log in at ionos.com, go to Domains & SSL, select the domain, and open the DNS tab.
  2. IONOS pre-creates records on www for its own parking/hosting — delete the existing A/AAAA records for www first.
  3. Click Add record → CNAME. Host name: www. Points to: my-site.prdrm.net.
  4. Save. IONOS zone changes usually propagate within a few minutes, but the default TTL is 1 hour, so a previously-resolved name can take up to an hour to switch over.

GoDaddy​

  1. Log in, open My Products, and click DNS (or Manage DNS) next to the domain.
  2. Click Add New Record: Type CNAME, Name www, Value my-site.prdrm.net, TTL default.
  3. Save. If a CNAME or A record already exists on www (GoDaddy often pre-creates one), edit it in place instead of adding a duplicate.

GoDaddy does not allow a CNAME on @; for the apex use Domain Forwarding to redirect example.com → www.example.com (see below).

cPanel (generic hosting)​

If your nameservers point at your hosting provider and you manage DNS through cPanel:

  1. In cPanel, open Domains → Zone Editor and click Manage next to your domain.
  2. If www already has an A record, delete it — a name cannot carry both an A record and a CNAME.
  3. Click Add Record → Add CNAME Record. Name: www.example.com. (cPanel usually appends the domain and trailing dot for you). Record/CNAME: my-site.prdrm.net.
  4. Save the record.
Your site keeps running

Changing the www DNS record does not touch your hosting account — the origin site stays where it is. Paradarum fetches from your origin server; only the public DNS entry moves to the CDN.

The apex (root) domain​

A CNAME is not allowed on the zone apex (example.com itself, the @ record) — the DNS specification forbids it, and most providers reject it. You have three options:

  • www + redirect (works everywhere). Point www.example.com at the CDN with the CNAME above, then redirect the apex to www. Every provider above has a forwarding feature: GoDaddy Domain Forwarding, OVH Redirection tab, IONOS Domain forwarding, cPanel Domains → Redirects, Cloudflare Redirect Rules.
  • Cloudflare CNAME flattening. On Cloudflare you can put the CNAME directly on @ (Target my-site.prdrm.net, DNS only) — Cloudflare flattens it into A records automatically, which is legal at the apex.
  • ALIAS/ANAME record. Some other providers offer an apex-safe flattening type under the name ALIAS or ANAME. If yours does, point it at my-site.prdrm.net.

More background in the apex caveat.

Step 3 — Verification: the panel polls for you​

Once the record is saved, go back to the panel and leave the DNS step (wizard) or the DNS Configuration Required dialog open. The panel re-checks your DNS automatically every few seconds — you do not need to keep clicking anything. As soon as your record is visible:

  1. The status flips from Waiting for DNS… to verified, and the hostname becomes Active.
  2. The Let's Encrypt certificate job is enqueued automatically; the certificate appears shortly after.

What the check does: a plain forward DNS lookup confirming your hostname resolves to an active PoP IP — there is no TXT token to add. See Configure a CNAME.

If you added both www and the root, each hostname is verified independently and receives its own certificate — one can turn Active before the other (typical when the root record needs ALIAS/flattening and propagates more slowly). The wizard shows a separate status line per hostname, and nothing blocks: finish any remaining hostname later from the Hostnames tab.

Closed the panel? Use Retry

Verification is not lost if you close the dialog or finish the wizard early. Open the property's Hostnames tab and click the Retry action on the pending hostname whenever your DNS is ready — the full flow is described in Verify DNS and retry SSL.

Typical propagation is 5–10 minutes; a high TTL on a pre-existing record (IONOS defaults to 1 hour) can stretch it. The panel keeps polling while the dialog is open, so the moment propagation completes, activation follows.

Troubleshooting​

  • Cloudflare: hostname resolves to Cloudflare IPs. The record is still Proxied — switch it to DNS only (grey cloud).
  • Record saved but verification never succeeds. Check for a leftover A/AAAA record on the same name overriding your CNAME, and confirm the target is the system hostname (my-site.prdrm.net), not your origin server.
  • Apex will not accept the record. Expected — see the apex section.
  • Still pending after an hour. Resolve it yourself with dig www.example.com (or an online DNS checker): until it returns the CNAME chain to prdrm.net, the CDN cannot see it either. More cases in DNS verification troubleshooting.

Next steps​