Managing your DNS

Welcome to the Vidflex guide on how to set up a custom domain! 

If this is your first time managing a domain please start from “Registering a Domain” section.

If you already have a domain you can jump straight to “Report your domain to Vidflex Support” section.

Registering a Domain

A domain is purchased at a domain registrar which is where the domain is hosted. In order to move to the next steps, you need to purchase a new domain name or use an existing one. Once you own a domain then you have two options, you can either use that domain name for your Vidflex platform or you can create a subdomain.

Choosing a domain registrar

Use this section as a guide if you don’t already have a domain registrar. Below are some well-known domain registrars that you could use. There are many registrars out there to choose from, but we find the ones below have some of the most friendly interfaces and good support documentation.

• • • • GoDaddy.com
      • Domain.com
      • Bluehost.com
      • Namecheap.com
      • Domains.google

Bare Domain example

An example of a bare domain is example.com.

Subdomain example

An example of a subdomain is video.example.com.

Once you have registered a bare domain, then you have the option to create a subdomain. A common use case for this scenario is for those who would like to make their Vidflex platform an extension of their existing website versus having to manage a whole other domain.

IMPORTANT

If you’re having trouble registering a domain please visit the domain registrars support guides for instructions!
Do not purchase an “SSL certificate” if prompted on your registrar. We provide this for you and handle it all on our end!
You may want to purchase something called domain privacy. This blocks anybody searching for your domain on WHOIS from seeing your email, address, and phone number associated with your domain registrar account. Some registrars will provide a free trial or may include it for free as part of their service!

Report your domain to Vidflex Support

It’s quite easy, as soon as you have registered your domain or already have one registered please report your domain name to our Support team by emailing support@vidflex.com. We need to add your domain name to our system to move forward.

If you’re using a bare domain, we will provide you with 3 DNS records:

Our Support team will indicate whether you need to follow the Bare Domain or Subdomain sections found under Managing DNS.

Before you begin, network caching…

You might already know, but network caching is a nuisance, try to refrain from searching your custom domain into any device’s internet browser until we give you the green light. If you do while in the middle of updating the DNS it could take several hours afterward to access the site on the new domain from your current network while someone else on a different network can. If this happens simply try accessing on a different network, i.e. home WiFi or mobile network, until the network cache cycle has been flushed out; each cycle is generally 1-4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Managing DNS

Once you get the DNS records from our Support team you can start adding those records to your domain registrar. In your registrar, you’re looking for the place that allows you to Manage DNS. 

NOTE

If you’re having trouble locating where to manage DNS, please check the support guides on your domain registrar for more information!

TIP

If you use a third-party hosting provider or reseller you will need to access their service to manage your DNS. In most cases, you should have your own account login to do this, but in other cases, you will need to contact the hosting provider or reseller support team for them to make these changes.

Contact support@vidflex.com for more information and help if needed.

Managing DNS for Bare Domain

On the Manage DNS page, you can start adding the appropriate records. Your registrar should give you an option to add different types of records. As you’re adding the records we recommend that you use the lowest TTL time available. This will speed up the time it takes to propagate the DNS throughout the internet. In most cases, you will need to edit the TTL for each added record before saving it.

Our Support team will send you the DNS records in this format:

Below is a screenshot of what the records look like after being added to the GoDaddy registrar.

Managing DNS for Subdomain

On the Manage DNS page, you can start adding the appropriate records. Your registrar should give you an option to add different types of records. As you’re adding the records we recommend that you use the lowest TTL time available. This will speed up the time it takes to propagate the DNS throughout the internet. In most cases, you can edit the TTL for each added record before saving it.

Common subdomain examples:

• • • video.example.com
    • watch.example.com
    • tv.example.com
    • film.example.com

Our Support team will send you the DNS records in this format:

• • • Type: CNAME

Name: [subdomain] we will use what you reported to us in section B

Value: custom.vidflex.com

Below is a screenshot of what the records look like after being added to the GoDaddy registrar.

Notify Vidflex Support about DNS Changes

As soon as you’ve completed adding the appropriate DNS records please notify our Support team at support@vidflex.com.

We will verify that the DNS records have been updated correctly and will initiate the final check on our end. This time may vary depending on whether the records were added correctly on your end and if we need you to make any changes.

Confirmation

We’ll let you know when your site is fully operational on your custom domain. This whole process can take as little as 30 mins up to a full day to complete depending on communication between you and our team and on how familiar you are with making DNS changes. 

Don’t worry, we are here to help you every step of the way. If you cannot find the right information in the domain registrar support guides, let us know so we can provide you with assistance.