With Now, you can alias your deployments to a custom name, whether that is a free .now.sh prefixed domain or your personal domain. This document will explain how to add your domain to Now so that you can alias your deployments to it.
If you need a new domain you can buy buy it with ZEIT and it will be set up automatically.
Option 1: Using ZEIT Nameservers
Using the ZEIT DNS nameservers is the preferred way of verifying and pointing your domain towards Now.
There are several benefits:
- You can easily create new aliases with the Now CLI
- It allows us to generate DNS records automatically that help with managing your domain
- You can generate wildcard certificates automatically
- Your domain will be served by our lightning fast Smart CDN
- You get an SSL certificate as standard which we renew for you
Using this method means that you will be using ZEIT DNS and your domain will be marked as a ZEIT DNS or zeit.world domain.
To add a domain with ZEIT, use the now domains add command:
Now CLI will give you an intended set of nameservers that can be set with your domain name provider to point to ZEIT DNS so that you can access your deployments from that domain. The nameservers you are provided with are randomly given to enhance stability and security when setting up your domain.
Now will automatically check that the nameservers have been updated, and when detected, the domain will be marked as verified. You can force Now to check for verification by using the now domains verify command:
That's it! You're ready to alias your deployments and create DNS records. Your wildcard certificate is created automatically.
Option 2: Using External Nameservers
If you prefer to use other nameservers, you can verify your domain using TXT verification and add CNAME records with the value alias.zeit.co for the hostnames you want to alias within Now. This means that you will not be using ZEIT DNS and your domain will be marked as external.
For a greater advantage with Now and your domain, we strongly recommend using the nameservers method.
To use a domain with external nameservers with Now, first add it to your account using the now domains add command:
For this purpose, can ignore the set of nameservers, and instead take note of the TXT record including a name (also known as host or alias) and a value. Adding this record with your existing domain provider will allow Now to verify that the domain belongs to you and enable you to use the domain with Now.
Now will automatically check for the TXT record, and when detected, the domain will be marked as verified.
You can force Now to check for verification by using the now domains verify command:
This method is recommended when you want a zero-downtime migration before pointing your domain to Now.
For each domain you want to alias, add a CNAME record with a value alias.zeit.co to your external DNS. Then you can alias your deployments as usual!
Moving to ZEIT Nameservers
If you decide later that you want to migrate to ZEIT nameservers (including as part of a zero-downtime migration, you can find the intended set of nameservers for your domain by running the inspect command:
This command will print your current and intended nameservers.
Once you change the nameservers with your domain provider and the domain propagates, your domain will point to Now and you can access your deployments from that domain.
Using Your Domain
With a domain added and enabled under an account or team, the next step is to alias a deployment to that domain.