Skip to content
Bonfire Docs
Docs

howto

Configure a custom domain

Every community starts on a free yourname.bonfire subdomain. Connecting your own domain (for example community.acme.com) makes the community feel native to your brand and is required for full white-label.

Before you start

  • You need DNS access at your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, etc.).
  • Decide between a subdomain like community.acme.com (recommended) or an apex domain like acme.com.

Steps

  1. Go to Admin → Domain.
  2. Click Add custom domain and enter the domain you want to use.
  3. Bonfire shows the DNS record to create. For a subdomain, add a CNAME record pointing to the target shown on screen.
  4. Save the record at your registrar. DNS changes can take a few minutes to a few hours to propagate.
  5. Back in Admin → Domain, click Verify. Once verified, Bonfire provisions an SSL certificate automatically.
  6. When the status shows Active, your community is reachable over https:// on the new domain.

SSL is automatic and renews on its own. You never upload certificates.

Verify it worked

Open your domain in a browser. You should land on your community over HTTPS with no certificate warning, and the old subdomain should redirect to the new domain.

Related

  • Set up white-label
  • Branding: logo and colors
  • Navigation

FAQ

Can I keep using the old subdomain too? Yes. The bonfire subdomain keeps working and redirects to your custom domain.

Why does verification fail? Almost always a missing or wrong DNS record. Double-check the CNAME value and that you saved it on the correct host.

Do I need a custom domain for white-label? A custom domain is part of a fully white-labeled experience, but you can remove Bonfire branding first and add the domain later.