Custom Domains

Connect your own domain names to sh0 apps with automatic SSL certificates and zero-downtime configuration.

Adding a Domain

Every app deployed on sh0 gets a default subdomain under *.sh0.app. To use your own domain, navigate to your app's settings and add it through the Domains panel.

1. Open the Dashboard and select your app.
2. Navigate to Settings → Domains.
3. Click Add Domain and enter your domain name (e.g., example.com).
4. sh0 will display the required DNS records to configure at your registrar.

DNS Configuration

After adding a domain in the dashboard, you need to configure DNS records at your domain registrar (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.). sh0 supports both A records and CNAME records.

A Record Setup

Use an A record for root domains. Point it to your sh0 server's IP address:

Type: A
Name: @
Value: YOUR_SERVER_IP
TTL: 3600 (or Auto)

CNAME Setup

Use a CNAME record for subdomains. Point it to your sh0 server's hostname:

Type: CNAME
Name: app
Value: your-server.example.com
TTL: 3600 (or Auto)

Domain Verification

sh0 automatically verifies domain ownership by checking DNS records. The verification process works as follows:

1. sh0 generates a unique verification token for your domain.
2. You add the DNS record as displayed in the dashboard.
3. sh0 periodically checks for the record (every 30 seconds).
4. Once verified, sh0 provisions an SSL certificate and routes traffic to your app.

You can also trigger a manual check via the API:

curl -X POST https://your-server:9000/api/domains/verify \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '[object Object]'

Automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt

sh0 uses Caddy as its reverse proxy, which automatically obtains and renews SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt. There is nothing to configure -- once your domain is verified:

• An HTTPS certificate is provisioned within seconds.
• HTTP traffic is automatically redirected to HTTPS.
• Certificates are renewed automatically before expiry (every 60 days).
• Both RSA and ECDSA certificates are supported.

Wildcard Domains

Wildcard domains let you route all subdomains of a domain to a single app. This is useful for multi-tenant applications where each customer gets their own subdomain.

Type: A
Name: *
Value: YOUR_SERVER_IP
TTL: 3600

In the sh0 dashboard, add the wildcard domain as *.example.com. Your application will receive the full hostname in the request headers and can route accordingly.

Domain Status Indicators

The dashboard shows a status badge for each domain. Here is what each status means:

Troubleshooting DNS

If your domain is stuck in Pending or Error status, try these steps:

Check your DNS records locally:

dig example.com +short
dig CNAME app.example.com +short

Verify your server is reachable on ports 80 and 443:

curl -I http://YOUR_SERVER_IP
curl -I https://YOUR_SERVER_IP

Common issues and solutions:

• DNS not propagated: Wait up to 48 hours, or use a lower TTL value.
• Firewall blocking ports 80/443: Ensure your server firewall allows inbound HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
• Cloudflare proxy interference: Switch to DNS-only mode (gray cloud) or configure Full (Strict) SSL in Cloudflare.
• Wrong IP address: Double-check your server's public IP with curl ifconfig.me.
• Rate limit: Let's Encrypt has rate limits (50 certificates per domain per week). If you hit them, wait or use a staging certificate.