> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shardcloud.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Domains

> Buy a domain through Shard Cloud, or bring one you already own and point it at your apps and VMs.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Buy a Domain" icon="cart-shopping" href="#buying-a-domain">
    Register a new domain directly through the platform
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bring Your Own Domain" icon="right-left" href="#bringing-your-own-domain">
    Point a domain you already own at Shard Cloud
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

A **domain** on Shard Cloud is a resource you can attach to your apps and VMs to serve them under your own hostname instead of the default `*.shardweb.app` subdomain or a raw VM IP. There are two ways to get one:

1. **Register a new domain** directly through Shard Cloud — we handle the purchase, renewal, and DNS.
2. **Bring your own domain (BYOD)** — use a domain you already own at another registrar by pointing its nameservers at Shard Cloud.

Both paths end up in the same place: an **active** domain, fully managed by Shard Cloud and ready to be pointed at an app or VM.

<Note>
  Bringing your own domain requires a **Core plan or higher**.
</Note>

## Buying a Domain

Domains are registered through our registrar partner (Namesilo) and billed as a one-time invoice.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check availability">
    Search for a domain in the dashboard to get live availability and pricing, including up to 4
    alternative TLD suggestions if your first pick is taken.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Register">
    Choose how many years to register (1–5) and a payment method — credit card (a card-processing
    fee applies) or PIX. Registering creates an invoice; the domain is only registered with the
    registrar once that invoice is paid.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Automatic setup">
    Once payment clears, Shard Cloud registers the domain and takes over its DNS automatically.
    Auto-renew is enabled by default.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Most domains discount the first year of registration; years 2 and beyond (and all renewals) are
  billed at the standard renewal rate, not a flat multiple of the first-year price. The dashboard
  always shows the real per-year price before you buy.
</Note>

## Bringing Your Own Domain

If you already own a domain at another registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.), you can bring it to
Shard Cloud instead of transferring ownership — you keep the domain registered where it is, and
just delegate DNS to Shard Cloud.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Register the external domain">
    Add the domain from the dashboard. Shard Cloud provisions a dedicated DNS zone for it and gives
    you two nameservers to configure. The domain starts out in a pending state.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update nameservers at your current registrar">
    Log in to wherever the domain is currently registered and replace its nameservers with the pair
    Shard Cloud gave you. This pair is unique to your domain — don't reuse nameservers from a
    different domain.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify">
    Once the change propagates, verify it from the dashboard — or just wait, since a daily
    background check does this automatically. Verification checks the real delegation status of
    your domain, not just what nameservers you typed in, so it can't be spoofed by pointing at a
    shared nameserver pair that isn't actually authoritative for your zone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Active">
    Once verified, the domain becomes active with Shard Cloud managing its DNS — from here it
    behaves the same as a platform-registered domain.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Nameserver propagation can take up to 48 hours. If a domain sits unverified for more than 4 days,
  it's automatically removed, freeing you to try again.
</Warning>

<Note>
  You can only have one domain awaiting verification at a time, and up to **15 external domains**
  per account (this cap doesn't apply to domains you buy through the platform — those are
  unlimited). We also do a quick registration check before setting anything up, so adding a domain
  that isn't actually registered anywhere will be rejected.
</Note>

## Using Your Domain

Once a domain is active — whether bought or brought — you can point it at an app or a VM straight
from the dashboard. Shard Cloud creates the necessary DNS records for you automatically:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Point at an App" icon="rocket">
    Attaching a domain to an app creates the DNS record (and the validation records needed for
    SSL) for you. If the app doesn't already have this hostname as a custom domain, it's claimed
    automatically — apps can have up to 5 custom domains, and this requires a Core plan or higher.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Point at a VM" icon="server">
    Attaching a domain to a VM creates a DNS record pointing directly at the VM's IP address.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

You can point the domain's apex (`example.com`) directly, or use a subdomain (`app.example.com`)
instead.

<Tip>
  See [How to Set Up Your Custom Domain](/tutorials/platform/custom-domain) for the full
  dashboard-driven walkthrough of attaching a custom domain to an app, including SSL and
  troubleshooting.
</Tip>

<Note>
  A freshly registered domain needs about 30 minutes before its DNS delegation is confirmed and
  it's ready to use this way — this happens automatically, no action needed.
</Note>

### Managing DNS Records Directly

Beyond the app/VM shortcuts, you have full control over a domain's DNS: create, update, and delete
individual records (`A`, `CNAME`, `TXT`, `MX`, and more), switch the domain's SSL mode
(flexible/full), and purge its edge cache — all from the domain's page in the dashboard.

## Renewal

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Platform-Registered Domains">
    Renewal is handled automatically. An invoice is generated 20 days before expiry and gives you
    15 days to pay; on payment, the domain is renewed and the expiry date updates. You can disable
    auto-renew if you don't want this, re-enable it later, or renew on demand for 1–5 years at a
    time — all from the domain's page in the dashboard.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="External (BYOD) Domains">
    Shard Cloud **never renews** an externally-registered domain — renewal happens at whichever
    registrar you originally registered it with. Auto-renew and on-demand renewal are both
    disabled for external domains; if the domain expires at its original registrar, DNS through
    Shard Cloud stops working along with it.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Deleting a Domain

Only externally-registered (BYOD) domains can be removed. Deleting one tears down its DNS zone
first, and only removes it from your account if that succeeds — so nothing is ever left dangling
with your DNS still delegated to it. Platform-registered domains aren't deleted this way; simply
let auto-renew lapse if you no longer want one.