App Customization
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      Using a Custom Domain for your app

      This article explains how to set up and manage a custom domain for your Knack app using the "Classic" builder and live app experience.

       

      Using a custom domain for your Live App is a great way to weave your company's or client's brand into your app. It's also a  are a great way to can be used as an alternative if you don't have a website to embed your app into but still want a custom domain to point directly to your app.

      A custom domain is not specific to one app. You could access any of your apps with that domain simply by including the app name after the custom domain in the URL.

      Note: Custom Domains are available to customers on Pro plans above. For more details, please see below, or visit our pricing page

      Deciding on a Domain

      Before you request a custom domain, know what the domain is you are going to use. Keep in mind that some domains may not work.

      1. If you have an existing domain that you own and want to use (for example, www.mydomain.com) make sure that you are not using it for any other websites, otherwise the other website will not work once you configure it to point to your Knack app.

      2. If you don't own a domain yet, you can readily purchase one from leading Domain registrars like: GoDaddy, Squarespace Domains, or Namecheap. 

      3. With Knack, you must register a subdomain (the part before the first period) in all cases. You cannot use a root domain such as mydomain.com by itself for your Knack custom domain. DNS systems typically don't allow CNAME records for root domains. Rather, you'll use a subdomain such as app.mydomain.com, or members.mydomain.com. The subdomain www.mydomain.com is okay as long as you don't have an active website at www.mydomain.com.

      Requesting a Custom Domain

      Go to "Settings" → "Custom Domain" in the Builder: A new “Custom Domain” subtab appears after "User Logins"

      • If your account does not have access to Custom Domains:

        • You will see a "View Plans and Upgrade" button.

        • The app URL example will be hidden.

      • If your account does have access to Custom Domains:

        • You will see a "Request Custom Domain" button, or you can submit a request to our Support team by submitting this form, 

        • Once applied, a confirmation message will appear, and the domain will be shown with your app slug

      • Once we've received the request and responded, you'll be able to proceed to the DNS change.
        • The DNS change can take 24-48 hours.

      Updating Your DNS / CNAME Settings

      Note: It is important that you have received confirmation that your custom domain has been attached to your app before proceeding with this step.

      The final step is to change or add a DNS CNAME record for your domain. You'll need to have access or know who has access, to make DNS changes for your domain.

      For the "Classic" version of your Live App, the CNAME record should point to v3customdomains.knack.com. Please allow a few hours for propagation to occur.

       

      Setting Up the CNAME

      1. Login to your hosting provider and edit the DNS settings for the domain you’ll be configuring to work with Knack.

      2. Create a new CNAME record with the Host value set to what you’d like to use for your subdomain. For example, if you want your Knack App to be accessed via portal.domain.com you would enter "portal" as the Host value

      3. Point the record to our subdomain: v3customdomains.knack.com.

      4. Save your work.

        1. Host Record: This is the domain or subdomain you wish to use.

        2. Points to: This is the destination server that the domain or subdomain is sending the traffic to.

        3. TTL: The "time to live" value indicates the amount of time the record is cached by a DNS Server, such as your Internet service provider. The default (and lowest accepted) value is 14,400 seconds (4 hours).

          1. You generally do not need to modify this value.

      How Your Custom Domain Will Look

      For the Classic-version of your Live App, your users MUST include the app-slug at the end of the custom domain / URL in order to successfully access the Live App.

      If they do NOT include the app-slug at the end of the URL, then they will see a login for the Builder area

      For example, when directing your users to your app, it will look like: www.mycustomdomain.com/my-app-slug, or crm.acmecompany.com/custom-crm in the below example

      Pricing and Packaging

      Plan

      # of Apps with Custom Domains

      Pro

      1 app ($25/month for additional apps)

      Corporate

      3 apps ($25/month for additional apps)

      Agency

      10, 25, 50 apps (depending on Agency tier)

      Note: Starter and Trial plans must upgrade to Pro to access custom domains.

      SSL / TLS Certificates

      Apps with custom domains automatically receive SSL/TLS certificates and support HTTPS traffic. Enjoy! 😀

      Single Sign On (SSO) Implications

      If you have SSO configured for your app, you will have to allow their custom-domain to the “Origin” and the “Redirects” in their Google App Console

      See our help article about Updating Your App’s SSO Configuration to Include Knack.com for more details