Custom Domain Setup

Learn how to use your own domain for your FeatureShark feedback board to maintain consistent branding and improve user trust.

Overview

Custom domains allow you to serve your FeatureShark board from your own domain instead of the default yourproject.featureshark.com subdomain. This provides:

• Professional Appearance: feedback.yourapp.com vs yourapp.featureshark.com
• Brand Consistency: Keep users within your domain ecosystem
• SEO Benefits: Content indexed under your domain
• SSL Security: Your own SSL certificate for enhanced trust
• Email Integration: Notifications sent from your domain

Prerequisites

Before setting up a custom domain, ensure you have:

• Domain Control: Administrative access to your domain's DNS settings
• SSL Certificate: Valid certificate for your custom domain (we can help obtain one)
• Plan Requirements: Custom domains available on Pro and Enterprise plans
• Technical Contact: Someone who can make DNS changes

Domain Setup Process

Step 1: Choose Your Subdomain

Recommended Subdomain Options

• feedback.yourapp.com - Most popular choice
• ideas.yourapp.com - For innovation-focused branding
• features.yourapp.com - Clear feature request focus
• community.yourapp.com - Emphasizes community engagement
• roadmap.yourapp.com - If primarily used for roadmap sharing

Subdomain Considerations

• Keep it short and memorable
• Avoid hyphens or numbers if possible
• Match your brand voice (professional vs. casual)
• Consider internationalization if serving global users

Step 2: DNS Configuration

Add CNAME Record

Add a CNAME record in your DNS provider pointing to FeatureShark:

Type: CNAME
Name: feedback (or your chosen subdomain)
Value: custom.featureshark.com
TTL: 3600 (or your provider's default)

Popular DNS Providers

Cloudflare:

1. Log into Cloudflare dashboard
2. Select your domain
3. Go to DNS > Records
4. Click Add record
5. Choose CNAME, enter subdomain name and custom.featureshark.com

AWS Route 53:

1. Open Route 53 console
2. Select your hosted zone
3. Click Create record
4. Choose CNAME record type
5. Enter subdomain and target custom.featureshark.com

GoDaddy:

1. Log into GoDaddy account
2. Go to My Products > DNS
3. Click Add new record
4. Select CNAME, enter subdomain and target

Namecheap:

1. Access Domain List
2. Click Manage next to your domain
3. Go to Advanced DNS
4. Add CNAME Record with subdomain and target

Step 3: FeatureShark Configuration

Domain Registration in FeatureShark

1. Navigate to Settings > Custom Domain in your dashboard
2. Enter your full custom domain (e.g., feedback.yourapp.com)
3. Click Verify DNS Configuration
4. Wait for DNS propagation (typically 5-60 minutes)
5. Once verified, click Enable Custom Domain

SSL Certificate Setup

Automatic SSL (Recommended):

• FeatureShark automatically provisions Let's Encrypt certificates
• Renewal handled automatically
• No additional configuration required
• Available immediately after DNS verification

Custom SSL Certificate:

• Upload your own SSL certificate and private key
• Useful for enterprise compliance requirements
• Supports wildcard certificates
• Manual renewal management required

# Example: Generating CSR for custom certificate
openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes \
  -keyout feedback.yourapp.com.key \
  -out feedback.yourapp.com.csr \
  -subj "/CN=feedback.yourapp.com"

Step 4: Testing and Validation

DNS Propagation Check

Verify DNS configuration has propagated globally:

# Check CNAME record
nslookup feedback.yourapp.com

# Check from different locations
dig @8.8.8.8 feedback.yourapp.com CNAME
dig @1.1.1.1 feedback.yourapp.com CNAME

SSL Certificate Validation

Ensure SSL is working correctly:

# Check SSL certificate
openssl s_client -connect feedback.yourapp.com:443 -servername feedback.yourapp.com

# Verify certificate chain
curl -I https://feedback.yourapp.com

Functionality Testing

• Browse to your custom domain and verify the board loads
• Test user registration and login flows
• Check email notifications are sent from correct domain
• Verify SEO meta tags use custom domain in URLs
• Test mobile responsiveness on custom domain

Advanced Configuration

Email Domain Matching

Custom Email Settings

Configure email notifications to match your custom domain:

Email From Address:

noreply@yourapp.com (instead of noreply@featureshark.com)

Email Links:

• All links in emails point to your custom domain
• Password reset links use your domain
• Feature request notifications link to custom domain
• Unsubscribe links maintain brand consistency

SPF and DKIM Setup

For enhanced email deliverability:

SPF Record:

v=spf1 include:_spf.featureshark.com include:yourapp.com ~all

DKIM Configuration:

1. Request DKIM keys from FeatureShark support
2. Add provided DKIM records to your DNS
3. Verify DKIM authentication is working

Subdomain Redirects

Redirect Old URLs

Set up redirects from old FeatureShark URLs to maintain SEO:

301 Redirects Automatically Handled:

• yourproject.featureshark.com → feedback.yourapp.com
• Search engine rankings transferred
• Existing bookmarks continue working
• Social media shares redirect properly

Multiple Domain Support

Enterprise customers can configure multiple domains:

• feedback.yourapp.com - Main feedback board
• ideas.yourapp.com - Alternative branding
• roadmap.yourapp.com - Public roadmap focus

CDN and Performance

Cloudflare Integration

For enhanced performance and security:

Setup Steps:

1. Orange Cloud the custom domain in Cloudflare
2. Configure SSL to "Full (Strict)" mode
3. Enable caching for static assets
4. Set up security rules for additional protection

Page Rules for Optimization:

feedback.yourapp.com/*
- Browser Cache TTL: 4 hours
- Cache Level: Standard
- Security Level: Medium
- Always Use HTTPS: On

Performance Monitoring

Monitor custom domain performance:

• Page load times compared to default domain
• SSL handshake performance
• Global accessibility from different regions
• CDN cache hit rates if using Cloudflare

Troubleshooting

Common DNS Issues

DNS Not Propagating

Problem: CNAME record not resolving after several hours Solutions:

1. Verify CNAME syntax is exactly custom.featureshark.com
2. Check TTL settings - lower values propagate faster
3. Clear DNS cache locally (ipconfig /flushdns on Windows)
4. Test from multiple locations using online DNS checking tools
5. Contact DNS provider support if issue persists

Conflicting DNS Records

Problem: A record exists for the same subdomain Solutions:

1. Remove existing A record for the subdomain
2. Only use CNAME record for the custom domain
3. Check for wildcard records that might conflict
4. Verify root domain settings don't interfere

SSL Certificate Issues

Certificate Mismatch

Problem: SSL certificate doesn't match custom domain Diagnostic Steps:

1. Wait 30 minutes after DNS verification for automatic certificate
2. Check certificate details in browser (click padlock icon)
3. Verify domain spelling in FeatureShark settings
4. Try force refresh of SSL certificate in settings

Manual Resolution:

# Check current certificate
openssl s_client -connect feedback.yourapp.com:443 -servername feedback.yourapp.com < /dev/null 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -subject -dates

Mixed Content Warnings

Problem: Browser shows "not secure" despite SSL certificate Solutions:

1. Enable "Force HTTPS" in FeatureShark settings
2. Check custom CSS/JS for HTTP resources
3. Update any hardcoded links to use HTTPS
4. Review embed codes on external sites

Performance Issues

Slow Loading Times

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Compare with default domain performance
2. Check DNS resolution time (dig command)
3. Test from multiple geographic locations
4. Monitor server response times

Optimization Solutions:

1. Enable Cloudflare proxy if not already active
2. Optimize custom CSS/JS files
3. Use image compression for custom assets
4. Configure browser caching properly

Security Considerations

HTTPS Enforcement

Automatic HTTPS Redirect

FeatureShark automatically redirects HTTP to HTTPS:

http://feedback.yourapp.com → https://feedback.yourapp.com

HSTS Headers

HTTP Strict Transport Security automatically enabled:

Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains

Security Headers

Additional security headers for custom domains:

X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff  
X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block
Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin

Domain Verification

Ownership Verification

FeatureShark verifies domain ownership through:

1. DNS CNAME record pointing to our servers
2. SSL certificate validation for the domain
3. HTTP verification of domain control
4. Email verification to domain administrator (optional)

Preventing Domain Hijacking

• Monitor DNS changes for unauthorized modifications
• Use DNS security features (DNSSEC if supported)
• Regular SSL certificate monitoring
• Alert systems for domain configuration changes

Maintenance and Monitoring

Regular Checks

Monthly Verification

• DNS record integrity - ensure CNAME still points correctly
• SSL certificate expiration - automatic renewal verification
• Performance monitoring - page load times and uptime
• Email deliverability - test notifications are working

Quarterly Reviews

• Security scan of custom domain setup
• Performance optimization review
• SSL certificate grade checking (A+ rating goal)
• Backup domain configuration documentation

Monitoring Tools

Built-in Monitoring

FeatureShark provides monitoring for:

• Domain accessibility - 24/7 uptime monitoring
• SSL certificate status - expiration alerts
• DNS resolution health - global checking
• Performance metrics - response time tracking

External Monitoring

Consider additional monitoring with:

• UptimeRobot - free uptime monitoring
• Pingdom - performance and uptime tracking
• SSL Labs - SSL configuration testing
• GTmetrix - page speed analysis

Backup and Recovery

Configuration Backup

Document your custom domain setup:

domain_config:
  custom_domain: feedback.yourapp.com
  dns_provider: cloudflare
  cname_record:
    name: feedback
    target: custom.featureshark.com
    ttl: 3600
  ssl_method: automatic
  email_domain: yourapp.com

Disaster Recovery Plan

1. DNS provider backup access - multiple admin accounts
2. SSL certificate backup - store certificates securely
3. Configuration documentation - detailed setup steps
4. Alternative domain preparation - backup domain ready if needed

Best Practices

Domain Selection

1. Choose intuitive subdomains that users will remember
2. Keep consistency with your existing domain structure
3. Consider SEO implications of the chosen subdomain
4. Plan for internationalization if serving global markets

Security

1. Enable all security features in FeatureShark dashboard
2. Monitor SSL certificate health regularly
3. Use strong DNS provider with security features
4. Document all configuration for team reference

Performance

1. Use CDN services like Cloudflare for global performance
2. Optimize custom assets (images, CSS, JavaScript)
3. Monitor page load times from different global locations
4. Regular performance audits and optimization

Communication

1. Update all marketing materials with new domain
2. Inform users about domain change well in advance
3. Update social media profiles and documentation
4. Test all existing integrations after domain change

What's Next?

Continue customizing your FeatureShark experience:

1. Branding & Styling - Visual customization options
2. Custom CSS & Themes - Advanced styling
3. Slack Integration - Team notifications from custom domain

Getting Help

• 🌐 Domain Setup Support: domains@featureshark.com
• 🔒 SSL Certificate Issues: ssl-help@featureshark.com
• 📞 Priority Support: Available for Enterprise customers
• 💬 Live Chat: Real-time assistance for domain setup

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Setup Time: 30-60 minutes (including DNS propagation)
Maintenance: Minimal after initial setup
Available On: Pro and Enterprise plans
Last Updated: September 2025