Skip to content
Menu
OpenD Documentation
Version 0.1
Sign in

Serve your site at your own domain

On a managed site, staff set a custom domain such as docs.example.com on the admin console's Custom domain page and add the DNS records it shows. A self-hosted site's domain is its PUBLIC_URL.

About this task

On a managed site the hosting provider attaches the domain and switches the site over once your DNS is ready. Until then the site keeps its own address, so sign-in and links keep working, and the site's own address (such as acme.opend.app) keeps working afterwards too. Owners can do the same from their account panel at https://opend.app/account.

A subdomain such as docs.example.com is the easiest choice: it needs one CNAME record. A domain belongs to one site at a time.

  1. Open Admin Custom domain.

    The page is also linked from the Overview and from Site & access. Only staff readers can open it.

  2. Enter the domain, without https://, and select Add domain.

    The status is Being attached. In a few minutes it changes to Waiting for DNS and the page lists the records to add.

  3. Add each record at your DNS provider, exactly as shown.

    Your DNS provider is where you bought the domain, or where its DNS is hosted. The table gives each record's type, name and value; click a name or value to select it for copying. There is a CNAME that points the domain at the site and a TXT record named _railway-verify.your domain that proves you own it.

    The Propagated column shows Pending until the provider sees a record, then ✓ In place. Last checked says when it last looked; it checks every few minutes.

  4. Wait for the records to propagate.

    Usually minutes, sometimes a few hours. Nothing else is needed: the site switches to the domain by itself.

    The status is Live. Links, sign-in and the editor use the new domain; the site's own address keeps working, so existing links still reach it.

Results

To use another domain, enter it and select Change domain: the new one starts again with its own records, and the site stays at its own address until they are in place. Remove domain puts the site back on its own address at once; delete the DNS records afterwards. Keep the records while the domain is live: removing them takes it offline.

Needs attention means the provider could not attach the domain. Check its spelling and that no other service uses it, then remove it and add it again; if it keeps failing, ask the operator of your docs site. A suspended site cannot change its domain until it is running again.

What to do next

Self-hosted sites

A site on your own server has no provider to attach domains (no OPEND_HOSTING_URL): the Custom domain page shows its address and explains this, with no form. To move it, point the domain at your server, serve it with HTTPS from your reverse proxy or hosting platform, set PUBLIC_URL to the new address and restart. Register the new sign-in callback with your identity provider and GitHub App first. See Environment variable reference.