CloudCannon DNS A DNS Provider option where CloudCannon manages the DNS records of your Custom Domain. CloudCannon adds the records each Subdomain needs, and the TXT records for your SSL Certificates, for you. To use it, you replace the nameservers at your domain registrar with CloudCannon's nameservers. A domain you own and connect to your CloudCannon Organization, so visitors reach your Site at your own address instead of its Testing Domain. You buy the domain from a domain registrar, connect it to your Organization, then add it to your Sites. A workspace in CloudCannon that groups together Sites, Organization Members, and shared resources. It is also the unit CloudCannon bills for. You can define permissions for your Organization, controlling the access each Organization Member has to resources on CloudCannon. You can create and be a part of multiple Organizations. The primary domain name for a website, without any subdomains. For example, in "www.example.com", the Base Domain is "example.com". In CloudCannon, you connect your Base Domain to your Organization as a Custom Domain. An additional name on the front of your URL, prefixing your Base Domain name (e.g., "docs" in docs.example.com or "blog" in blog.example.com). In CloudCannon, every address on your Custom Domain, including the Base Domain itself, is a Subdomain with its own hosting, HTTPS, and DNS settings. Each Subdomain serves Sites, each at its own path, or redirects visitors to another domain. A Subdomain with no Site yet shows its visitors a 404 page until you add a Site. A digital certificate that proves your website's identity and lets visitors connect to it over HTTPS. On CloudCannon, each Subdomain of your Custom Domain has its own SSL Certificate, which covers every Site on that Subdomain. An SSL Certificate can be auto-generated by CloudCannon, or a Custom SSL Certificate you upload.CloudCannon DNS
Custom Domain
Organization
Base Domain
Subdomain
SSL Certificate
Before we begin, this article assumes you have connected a Custom Domain to your Organization.
Enable CloudCannon DNS#
CloudCannon DNS is the default DNS Provider The service that stores the DNS records for your Custom Domain and answers DNS questions about it. This can be CloudCannon DNS, your domain registrar, or another service such as Cloudflare. You choose the DNS Provider when you connect a Custom Domain, and you can change it later in Domain Settings. Domain Name System configuration managed by a third-party DNS Provider rather than CloudCannon DNS. External DNS allows you to host your Site on CloudCannon but manage your DNS records elsewhere, such as with Cloudflare or on your own servers. You add the DNS records CloudCannon lists for each Subdomain at your DNS Provider.DNS Provider
External DNS
base-domain:settings:details:read permission to open the Details section, as well as the base-domain:settings:dns:write permission.
Updating your DNS Provider can cause downtime for anything connected to your domain, such as your website or custom email address. Please make sure you have a copy of your existing DNS Records before you change providers.
If you need help updating your DNS, please contact our friendly support team. Include the Custom Domain, your current DNS Provider, and a copy of your existing DNS Records.
To switch to CloudCannon DNS:
- Log in to CloudCannon.
- Select the Organization your Custom Domain is connected to.
- Click the Custom Domains link in the App Sidebar. CloudCannon will open the Domains BrowserGlossary term
App Sidebar
The left-most UI panel in the CloudCannon app. This panel contains links to your Organization Home, Sites, Projects, Domains, and Org Settings pages, as well as app Updates and your Avatar.
.Glossary termDomains Browser
The page where you manage the Custom Domains connected to your Organization. The Domains Browser allows you to connect new domains and open the Domain page for each one to manage its Subdomains, DNS records, SSL Certificates, and minimum TLS version. You can access the Domains Browser by clicking the Custom Domains link in the App Sidebar.
- Select the domain for which you want to configure DNS by clicking the Cardfor the domain. CloudCannon will open the Summary tab of the Domain page.Glossary term
Card
The repeated block CloudCannon uses to represent one item in a list, browser, or input, typically showing a preview image, title, subtitle, icon, and key metadata. Cards represent files and folders in the Collection Browser and File Browser, as well as Sites, Organizations, Organization Members, domains, Health Checks, and items inside Array and Object Inputs. You can configure how Cards look for your files, making it easier to browse and identify content at a glance.
- Click the Domain Settings tab. CloudCannon will open the Details section.
- Under DNS Provider, select the CloudCannon DNS option. CloudCannon will label the provider you are switching from (current) and list What happens when you switch.
- Click the Switch to CloudCannon DNS button.
CloudCannon will create a DNS zone for your domain and add the records CloudCannon needs.
Nothing changes for visitors until you change the nameservers A server involved in the DNS lookup process. The word "nameserver" typically refers to the authoritative nameserver, which manages all the DNS records for a particular domain name. Almost all domains rely on multiple authoritative nameservers for redundancy. To use CloudCannon DNS, you set CloudCannon's nameservers at your domain registrar. A third-party company that manages the registration and renewal of domain names. Domain registrars allow you to purchase and configure domain names, and they handle the administrative aspects of domain ownership. You must purchase a domain name from a domain registrar before you can connect it to your CloudCannon Organization as a Custom Domain.Nameserver
Domain Registrar
You can also open the Details section from the DNS tab, by clicking the change the DNS Provider link below the External DNS nameservers heading at the top of the tab.
Move from the legacy CloudCannon DNS#
Some older Custom Domains use the legacy CloudCannon DNS, where you can't add or change DNS Records. Moving your domain to the new CloudCannon DNS creates a DNS zone with a copy of its current records, where you can add and edit them, and nothing changes for visitors until you update the nameservers at your domain registrar. For the steps, please read our documentation on migrating from the legacy CloudCannon DNS.
Point your domain at CloudCannon DNS#
Once you enable CloudCannon DNS, you need to replace the nameservers at your domain registrar with CloudCannon's nameservers. Until you do, a setup guide at the top of the Summary tab of your Domain page walks you through each step. The Custom Domain page under Site Settings shows the same guide for any Site A website in CloudCannon that includes all the files, content, configuration, and settings needed to edit, build, and host a complete website. A free .cloudvent.net URL that CloudCannon assigns to every Site for reviewing your live website content after a successful Site build. Each Testing Domain uses a randomly generated adjective and noun separated by a hyphen. By default, CloudCannon automatically de-indexes Testing Domains so that they do not appear in search engines.Site
Testing Domain
The setup guide shows a three-step tracker (Update your nameservers, Nameservers match, and CloudCannon DNS configured) and a heading for the step you are on. Once you click the I've updated my nameservers button, the first step reads You updated your nameservers. While CloudCannon checks your nameservers, the second step reads Checking nameservers, and if CloudCannon can't detect them, Nameservers do not match:
- Getting [Base Domain] ready — CloudCannon is creating the DNS zone for your domain. Your nameservers show once the zone is ready, usually in a moment.
- CloudCannon could not create a DNS zone for [Base Domain] — CloudCannon couldn't create the DNS zone, and shows Cloudflare's reason under Error reason. Click the Retry zone creation button to try again.
- Point [Base Domain] at CloudCannon DNS — Update the nameservers at your domain registrar.
- Waiting for CloudCannon nameservers on [Base Domain] — Your registrar is handing your domain over to CloudCannon DNS.
- [Base Domain]'s nameservers do not match the CloudCannon nameservers — CloudCannon still can't see your new nameservers 48 hours after you clicked the I've updated my nameservers button.
- [Base Domain]'s nameservers no longer point at CloudCannon DNS — Your domain was live on CloudCannon DNS, but its nameservers no longer point at CloudCannon.
If the zone still can't be created after you retry, contact our friendly support team. Include your Base Domain and the reason Cloudflare gave in the setup guide.
Add your existing records
Unless you moved from the legacy CloudCannon DNS, CloudCannon doesn't copy records from your current DNS Provider. Records at your current DNS Provider stop working once you switch nameservers, so add them to CloudCannon DNS first. These usually include MX Records for email and TXT Records for site verification.
The first step of the setup guide, 1. Copy your existing DNS Records, has an Open the DNS tab button on the Summary tab, which opens the DNS tab. On the DNS tab, the same step has a Scroll to DNS Records button, which scrolls down to the DNS records section. For the steps to add a record, please read our documentation on adding DNS Records.
Update your nameservers
The second step of the setup guide, 2. Update your nameservers, shows a table with one row for each nameserver. It lists each nameserver your domain needs under Required, the nameserver CloudCannon Found at your registrar, and a Status for each. A nameserver that matches shows Detected. The check passes only when your registrar lists exactly CloudCannon's nameservers. If your registrar lists a nameserver that CloudCannon DNS doesn't use, its row shows Remove.
Configuring your nameservers requires you to use the services provided by your domain registrar. For support, please contact your domain registrar.
CloudCannon DNS doesn't support DNSSEC. If DNSSEC is turned on for your domain at your registrar, turn it off before you update your nameservers. Otherwise, resolvers that check DNSSEC reject the answers from CloudCannon DNS, and your domain stops resolving for many visitors.
To update your nameservers:
- Log in to your third-party domain registrar with the account details used when you purchased your domain name. If you don't know who your domain registrar is, click the WHOIS link in the setup guide.
- Click the Copy icon next to a nameserver listed under Required. The icon will turn into a tick and show Copied!.
- Paste the nameserver at your domain registrar. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your registrar lists every nameserver under Required, and remove any other nameservers.
- Save your changes at your domain registrar.
- Click the I've updated my nameservers button in the nameservers table.
CloudCannon will check your nameservers every hour, and email you when your domain uses CloudCannon DNS. There's no need to keep the page open. For how long CloudCannon checks hourly, and how to check again immediately, please read the section on how often CloudCannon checks your nameservers.
Most registrars hand your domain over to CloudCannon DNS within an hour, but it can take up to 48 hours.
If CloudCannon still can't see your new nameservers 48 hours after you clicked I've updated my nameservers, the setup guide lists what usually fixes it under How can I fix this?:
- Check that the change was saved at your registrar, not only entered.
- Replace all of the old nameservers. Adding CloudCannon's nameservers alongside them doesn't work.
- If DNSSEC is on at your registrar, turn it off first.
Once you have fixed the problem, click the I've updated my nameservers button. CloudCannon will check every hour for another 48 hours.
If CloudCannon still can't see your nameservers after you have checked each of these, contact our friendly support team. Include your Base Domain, the name of your domain registrar, and the nameservers your registrar lists.
When your nameservers switch while you have the Summary tab open, the setup guide shows [Base Domain] now uses CloudCannon DNS! Click the Add a Subdomain button to add a Subdomain, or the Dismiss button to close the guide. If you open the Summary tab after your domain goes live, CloudCannon shows the normal Summary tab.
The DNS tab keeps the setup guide once your domain is live, showing [Base Domain] uses CloudCannon DNS with three done steps, and the sentence below its heading says CloudCannon manages your DNS Records for [Base Domain]. Inside the guide, the nameservers collapse into a closed Nameservers row with a green tick, which reads CloudCannon detected the correct nameservers [time] ago. CloudCannon checks these every day. If the latest check failed, it reads CloudCannon could not check the nameservers [time] ago. instead, with when the nameservers were last correct. Click the row to open it and see the nameservers table.
If your nameservers change
If the nameservers of a live domain stop pointing at CloudCannon, the setup guide shows when CloudCannon noticed the change. As DNS caches expire, visitors stop reaching the DNS Records you store in CloudCannon, and reach the records at the new nameservers instead.
- If you didn't mean to change your nameservers, change them back at your domain registrar, then click the I've updated my nameservers button.
- If you moved your DNS on purpose, click the Open the Domain Settings tab button in the Do you now use a different DNS Provider? notice to open the Details section of the Domain Settings tab, and switch your domain to External DNS. This button requires the
base-domain:settings:details:readpermission.
Cloudflare deletes your domain's CloudCannon DNS zone if the nameservers stay changed for seven days. CloudCannon keeps a copy of your DNS Records when it notices the change. If you change the nameservers back after Cloudflare deletes the zone, CloudCannon creates the zone again and restores your records. Cloudflare may give the new zone different nameservers, in which case the setup guide shows the nameservers to set at your registrar.
The I've updated my nameservers and Retry zone creation buttons require the base-domain:settings:dns:write permission. The Move to the new CloudCannon DNS button requires both the base-domain:settings:dns:write and base-domain:settings:details:write permissions. Without them, the buttons are disabled, and hovering over a disabled button shows You do not have permission to edit the DNS for [Base Domain]. or You do not have permission to edit the Domain Settings for [Base Domain]. Ask someone in your Organization who has these permissions.
If you can't view the DNS of the Base Domain, the Summary tab replaces the setup guide with a CloudCannon DNS is not configured for [Base Domain]. notice. Domains on the legacy CloudCannon DNS show the setup guide instead.
How often CloudCannon checks your nameservers
CloudCannon checks your nameservers daily. It checks every hour until your domain is live, for up to 48 hours after the latest of these: you connected the domain, you set up CloudCannon DNS for it, or you clicked the I've updated my nameservers button. If your domain still isn't live after 48 hours, CloudCannon emails you and goes back to checking daily. Click the I've updated my nameservers button again to start another 48 hours of hourly checks.
The footer of the nameservers table says how often CloudCannon checks and when it last checked. Once your domain is live, the DNS tab shows this in the closed Nameservers row instead, and the footer keeps only its buttons. Click the Check now button in the footer to check immediately. For a minute after a check, the button is disabled, and hovering over it shows Checked less than a minute ago. You can check again in a minute. If CloudCannon couldn't complete the latest check, the footer shows Could not check with how long ago the check failed, and the status stays at the last known result.
View the nameserver check history
To see every recent check of your nameservers, click the View nameserver check history icon in the footer of the nameservers table. CloudCannon will open the Nameserver checks for [Base Domain] modal, which lists the nameservers your domain needs and the checks, most recent first. Back-to-back checks with the same result share a row.
Each row shows which DNS Provider the nameservers CloudCannon found belong to (CloudCannon DNS, Legacy CloudCannon DNS, or Another provider), Nothing found, or Couldn't check, along with the nameservers found, any error, and when the checks ran. A Couldn't check row doesn't change the status of your nameservers. Click the Load older results button to see older checks.
You can also list the checks with the CloudCannon API, at GET /api/v0/base-domains/{base_domain_uuid}/dns/checks.
Nameserver emails
CloudCannon emails everyone who can edit the settings of your Base Domain (the base-domain:settings:details:write permission) about the nameservers of your domain.
[Base Domain] now uses CloudCannon DNS
CloudCannon sends this email about 15 minutes after your nameservers switch to CloudCannon, if an earlier check found nameservers that didn't match. It lists what is live on up to four Subdomains under Subdomains live on [Base Domain], then, if they apply, Subdomains with errors, Subdomains without a valid SSL Certificate, Certificates still issuing, and Do you use email on [Base Domain]? when CloudCannon found no MX Records.
[Base Domain]'s nameservers do not match the CloudCannon nameservers
CloudCannon sends this email when it still can't see your new nameservers more than 48 hours after you clicked I've updated my nameservers. If you didn't click it, CloudCannon counts the 48 hours from when you connected the domain or set up CloudCannon DNS for it, whichever is later, so switching a domain to CloudCannon DNS starts the 48 hours again. CloudCannon only sends the email within seven days of that starting point, and doesn't send it once your domain uses External DNS.
The email lists the nameservers your registrar still has and what usually fixes it, with an Open the Domain page for [Base Domain] button that opens your Domain page. Once your registrar lists the CloudCannon nameservers, click the I've updated my nameservers button on your Domain page, and CloudCannon will check every hour again.
Action required: [Base Domain]'s nameservers no longer point at CloudCannon DNS
CloudCannon sends this email when the nameservers of a live domain change away from CloudCannon. The email names the nameservers your domain uses now. If you didn't mean to change them, change them back at your domain registrar. If you now use another DNS Provider, switch your domain to External DNS on the Domain Settings tab of your Domain page. The email also says when Cloudflare will delete the zone if the nameservers stay changed, and that CloudCannon keeps a copy of your records to restore if you change the nameservers back. Click the Open the Domain page for [Base Domain] button to open your Domain page.
