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Custom Domains: From Setup to SSL in Minutes

• 6 min read • Custom Domains

You already own your domain. Now let's make it work.

One of the best decisions you can make is to own your digital real estate. But owning a domain is only the first step. The real power comes when you connect it to your content.

With Jottings PRO, connecting your custom domain (like blog.example.com) to your microblog takes just a few DNS records and a bit of waiting. No server configuration. No SSL headaches. Cloudflare handles the complexity for you.

Here's how to do it.

What You'll Need

  1. A Jottings PRO account - Custom domains are a PRO feature
  2. Your domain - Already registered and ready to configure
  3. Access to your domain's DNS settings - Through your registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.)
  4. 10-15 minutes - For the actual setup
  5. Patience - DNS propagation takes time (we'll cover this)

The Four-Step Setup Process

Step 1: Add Your Domain in Jottings

Log into your Jottings dashboard and navigate to your site settings. Look for the Custom Domain section.

Enter your domain name in the format:

blog.example.com

Not https://blog.example.com or www.blog.example.com. Just the domain itself.

Click Add Domain and Jottings will immediately create the configuration with Cloudflare's SSL for SaaS system. You'll see a status of Pending Verification.

Step 2: Get Your DNS Records

After adding the domain, you'll see two DNS records that you need to add to your domain provider:

  1. TXT Record - This proves you own the domain

    • Name: _cf-custom-hostname.blog.example.com
    • Value: <some-cloudflare-generated-code>

  2. CNAME Record - This points your domain to Jottings

    • Name: blog.example.com (or just @ if your registrar uses that)
    • Value: sites.jottings.me

Important: Copy these exactly. DNS is precise. One typo and nothing works.

Step 3: Add the Records to Your Domain Provider

Log into your domain registrar and find the DNS settings (often called "DNS Management" or "Advanced DNS").

The exact steps vary by registrar, but the pattern is the same:

  1. Click "Add Record" or "Add DNS Record"
  2. Select the record type (TXT or CNAME)
  3. Paste the Name and Value from Jottings
  4. Save

Add both records. The TXT record proves ownership. The CNAME record does the actual routing.

Your registrar might look different, but you're looking for the same fields: Type, Name, and Value.

Step 4: Wait and Verify

Now comes the hardest part: waiting for DNS to propagate.

Expected timeline:

  • DNS Propagation: 5-60 minutes (sometimes up to 24 hours globally)
  • SSL Certificate Issuance: 5-15 minutes after DNS validates
  • Global CDN Propagation: Up to 24 hours
  • Total Setup Time: 15-90 minutes from adding the domain to full activation

While you wait, Jottings is checking in the background. Once Cloudflare detects your DNS records, it automatically validates ownership and issues an SSL certificate. No action required from you.

You can manually check status by clicking the Check Verification button in your dashboard. It will poll Cloudflare and update the status in real-time.

What's Happening Behind the Scenes

This is where Jottings gets elegant. We use Cloudflare SSL for SaaS to handle the complexity:

  1. You add the domain - Cloudflare creates a "custom hostname" for your domain
  2. You add DNS records - Cloudflare validates domain ownership via the TXT record
  3. Cloudflare issues an SSL certificate - Automatic HTTPS for your domain
  4. Traffic routes through Cloudflare's network - Your domain is instantly fast, globally
  5. Your content serves from R2 storage - The same infrastructure as yourname.jottings.me

From your perspective, it's seamless. From Cloudflare's perspective, it's doing sophisticated DNS validation, SSL certificate management, and intelligent routing. That complexity is abstracted away.

The TXT record is the key. It's a cryptographic handshake that says "I own this domain and I authorize Jottings to serve content from it."

Common Questions

How Long Until My Domain Works?

DNS propagation is not instant. It's distributed. Different parts of the internet see your DNS changes at different times.

  • Most people see it working in 5-15 minutes
  • Some see it within an hour
  • Worst case: 24 hours for global propagation

If it's been 24 hours and your domain still doesn't work, check:

  1. Did you add both records? (TXT and CNAME)
  2. Are they spelled correctly? Use dig or nslookup to verify:
    dig CNAME blog.example.com
dig TXT _cf-custom-hostname.blog.example.com
  3. Is the CNAME pointing to sites.jottings.me? (not some other value)
  4. Did you save the changes? Some registrars have a save button you might have missed

If you still can't figure it out, hit the Check Verification button again and contact support with a screenshot. We'll help debug.

Can I Use a Subdomain?

Yes. You can use blog.example.com, writing.example.com, journal.example.com, etc.

You can even use a deep subdomain like blog.personal.example.com. Just add the exact subdomain as your custom domain in Jottings.

What If I Want www.?

You can add www.example.com as your custom domain. Just remember that www.example.com and example.example.com are different domains.

If you want both example.com and www.example.com to work, you'll need a PRO account for each site (since Jottings supports one custom domain per site). Alternatively, you can set up a redirect at your registrar so that example.com redirects to www.example.com.

Can I Remove a Custom Domain Later?

Completely. Go to your site settings, find the custom domain section, and click Remove Domain.

This deletes the configuration from Cloudflare and removes the mapping. Your site will still be accessible at yourname.jottings.me, but not at your custom domain anymore.

Removing a domain doesn't affect your content. Your jots, site data, and everything else stays intact.

Will HTTPS Work?

Yes. Cloudflare automatically issues and renews SSL certificates for your domain. Your custom domain is always served over HTTPS.

Cloudflare handles certificate renewal automatically. You don't need to do anything.

Why This Matters

Owning your domain is half the battle. Connecting it properly is the other half.

When someone visits blog.example.com, they're visiting your space. Not Twitter's. Not Medium's. Yours. You control it. You own the history. You own the analytics. You own the relationship with your readers.

An SSL certificate (the https://) signals that your site is legitimate and secure. It's not a luxury — it's table stakes in 2025. We make it automatic so you never have to think about it.

Next Steps

  1. Add your domain in the Jottings dashboard
  2. Copy the DNS records (both TXT and CNAME)
  3. Log into your registrar and add them
  4. Wait 5-60 minutes (usually just 10)
  5. Click "Check Verification" to confirm it's live

That's it. Your custom domain is now your home on the internet.

Your content deserves a home you own. Build it at jottings.me.

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