Setting up your own domain in Aerobatic with NameCheap
Some context
As part of my adventure as entrepreneur, I created a web app in Javascript, with ReactJS. In order to boost development, I decided to use Create React App (CRA). After deploying my web app to Aerobatic (see my page Hosting a Create-React-App (CRA) website), next step was setting up my custom domain in NameCheap.
Note that there may be better way to do this step, since I am not expert in DNS resolution.
Buy and register domain in NameCheap
After selecting name of the product related to the website, I purchased the domain in NameCheap.
I must confess that I wouldn’t likely go for NameCheap if I had to do it again. Basically, I experience lack of support with other domains when I wanted to have different providers for mail hosting and web hosting, and since I was out of confort zone, it was really troublesome.
In addition, looked like NameCheap DNS resolution does not support Apex (i.e. “naked”) domains, fact I would likely use for certain domains.
Register domain in Aerobatic
You can set your domain up via command line (with Aerobatic CLI) or through Aerobatic console.
Via Aerobatic CLI
aero domain --name mydomain.com --subdomain ww
Via Console
| Name | my-domain |
|---|---|
| Domain Name | my-domain.com |
| Subdomain | www |
You have wait until Aerobatic sends you an email with name and value of CNAME, required for verifying ownership of the domain.
Once you have values, it is time to change your setup in NameCheap
Setup DNS records in NameCheap
Make sure NameServers property in Domain home setup screen contains value “NameCheap Basic DNS”.
Add in “Advance DNS” configuration, in “Host Records” section, a new entry with the CNAME entry (name and value) required for ownership verification.
You should receive another email from Aerobatic saying that your SSL certificate has been provisioned.
In addition, once Aerobatic provision your domain in AWS, they will send you an email with CNAMEs required for *.my-domain.com and www.my-domain.com, including the cloudfront url for the mapping, for example:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME Record | www.my-domain.com | cloudfront-id.cloudfront.net |
| CNAME Record | *.my-domain.com | cloudfront-id.cloudfront.net |
So finally, add following DNS entries in “Avance DNS” configuration of NameCheap admin area, in “Host Records” section:
| Type | Host | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME Record | www | cloudfront-id.cloudfront.net |
| CNAME Record | www–stage | cloudfront-id.cloudfront.net |
Once, DNS records are propagated, everything should work as expected.