Basics · 6
A domain is your site's own address, like yourname.com. This page explains what it is, where to buy one, how to point it at your site and how the padlock of HTTPS appears.
Fifteen minutes of clicking, then waiting: usually minutes, sometimes a few hours, until the internet learns the new address.
Computers on the internet find each other by numbers, like 185.199.108.153. A domain is a name for that number, so people do not have to remember it. DNS is the internet's phone book: it answers "which number is yourname.com?".
You rent a domain from a registrar for a year at a time. In the registrar's control panel you write DNS records: lines that say "my domain lives at this number" or "this name is another name for that one". When the records are right, a browser that asks for yourname.com is sent to your site.
HTTPS is the padlock in the address bar: the connection is encrypted and the site is really yours. It needs a certificate, which GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages and a server with certbot issue for free.
When you need this page: when the site works and you want it at your own address. When you can skip it: while you build; a free address like your-name.github.io works too.
Any registrar works. Pick one with a simple DNS panel and an honest renewal price.
Short, easy to say on the phone, without hyphens if you can.
An account at the registrar and a control panel for your domain.
| Record | What it says | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | The domain lives at this IPv4 number | @ → 185.199.108.153 |
| AAAA | The same for an IPv6 number | @ → 2606:50c0:8000::153 |
| CNAME | This name is another name for that one | www → your-name.github.io |
| TXT | A text note, often to prove the domain is yours | a code from GitHub or a search engine |
site.yaml, under site:, set domain: yourname.com, so links, the sitemap and search data use it. For GitHub Pages also enter the domain in the repository: Settings → Pages → Custom domain.sudo certbot --nginx -d yourname.com -d www.yourname.com, see Static files.No. Build and look at the site on your computer first. Free addresses like your-name.github.io or a pages.dev address on Cloudflare work until you buy a domain.
Yes. Email uses MX records. Change only the A, AAAA and CNAME records for the site and leave MX and the TXT records for email as they are.
The CNAME record for www is missing. Add it, and set one version as the main one in your hosting; HERON already writes one canonical address in every page.
The certificate is not issued yet or HTTPS is not enforced. Wait an hour after the DNS change, then turn on HTTPS as in step 6. Problems with a certificate are also on If something goes wrong.
Choose where the site lives: Publishing.