Phase 7: Shipping · 20 min · Vercel · Netlify · Namecheap

Custom Domains and DNS

your-app.vercel.app works. yourbrand.com works better. Here's how to make the switch.

Hiring signal: What changes when you use this: you can use your own domain — which means your app looks professional and trustworthy.

What you will learn

Buy a domain name from a registrar
Add a custom domain in Vercel or Netlify
Configure DNS records (A records and CNAME records)
Understand SSL certificates (automatic on Vercel/Netlify)
Handle WWW vs. non-WWW redirection

Your Mission

Buy (or use) a domain, configure DNS, and verify the app is live on the custom domain with HTTPS. Output: domain_setup.md.

You need: A deployed app on Vercel or Netlify. A domain name (or willingness to buy one).

Time: 30 minutes (plus DNS propagation time).

Step 1: Buy a Domain Name (5 min)

Domain registrars sell domain names:

Namecheap — affordable, good interface, free WHOIS privacy
Cloudflare — at-cost pricing, excellent DNS management
Porkbun — affordable, free WHOIS privacy

Tips: .com is gold standard ($10-15/year). If taken, try .app, .io, .dev. Avoid hyphens/numbers.

Why custom domains matter
A custom domain does three things: (1) Professionalism — yourbrand.com looks more trustworthy than yourbrand-xyz.vercel.app. (2) Memorability — users can remember and type your domain. (3) Ownership — you own the domain. If Vercel changes their free tier, you still have the domain and can point it elsewhere. The $10/year investment is one of the highest-ROI decisions for a project.

Write in your file:

Unlock the full lesson

You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers Domain, Step 2: Add Custom Domain in Vercel/Netlify (3 min), Domain Added to Platform, Step 3: Configure DNS Records (5 min), DNS Records Configured, Step 4: Wait for DNS Propagation (5 min), DNS Propagation, Step 5: Verify SSL (2 min), SSL Verification, Step 6: Set Up WWW vs. Non-WWW Redirect (5 min), WWW Redirect, You're Done — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

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