Add the CNAME at your DNS provider

After you click Add domain in FormSlug, you need to add a single CNAME record at your DNS provider — the company that runs your domain’s name servers. This page shows exactly where that record lives in the most common provider UIs.

Same record, every provider

Every provider asks for the same three fields. Only the labels differ.

• Type: CNAME
• Name / Host: the subdomain part only — e.g. go (creates go.yourcompany.com)
• Value / Target / Points to: caddy.formslug.com. (trailing dot optional on most providers)

If a provider also asks for TTL, leave the default (usually 1 hour / 3600 s).

Pick your provider below.

Cloudflare

By far the most common; also the most opinionated.

1. Sign in at dash.cloudflare.com.
2. Click your domain in the list.
3. Left sidebar → DNS → Records.
4. Click Add record.
5. Fill in:
   • Type: CNAME
   • Name: go (or whatever subdomain you chose — just the prefix, not the full domain)
   • Target: caddy.formslug.com
   • Proxy status: ⚠️ set this to “DNS only” (gray cloud), NOT “Proxied” (orange cloud). This matters — if you leave it proxied, Cloudflare intercepts the TLS handshake and FormSlug can’t issue the certificate. Click the orange cloud icon once to switch it to gray.
   • TTL: Auto
6. Click Save.

Cloudflare’s edge cache is fast — verification usually succeeds within a minute.

GoDaddy

1. Sign in at godaddy.com and open your account dashboard.
2. Click My Products → next to your domain, click DNS.
3. Scroll to the Records section, click Add New Record.
4. Fill in:
   • Type: CNAME
   • Name: go
   • Value: caddy.formslug.com
   • TTL: 1 hour
5. Click Save.

GoDaddy can take 30 minutes to several hours to propagate — patience pays.

Namecheap

1. Sign in at namecheap.com.
2. Top nav → Domain List → next to your domain, click Manage.
3. Tab → Advanced DNS.
4. Under Host Records, click Add New Record.
5. Fill in:
   • Type: CNAME Record
   • Host: go
   • Value: caddy.formslug.com. (trailing dot recommended on Namecheap)
   • TTL: Automatic
6. Click the green ✓ to save.

Google Domains / Squarespace Domains

Google Domains was migrated to Squarespace in 2023. If you bought your domain from Google, you’ll now sign in at Squarespace.

1. Sign in at account.squarespace.com.
2. Click your domain.
3. Left menu → DNS.
4. Scroll to Custom records (or Custom resource records in some accounts).
5. Add a new record:
   • Host: go
   • Type: CNAME
   • Priority: (leave blank — Squarespace doesn’t ask for this on CNAME)
   • Data: caddy.formslug.com.
6. Click Add.

AWS Route 53

1. Sign in to the AWS Console.
2. Hosted zones → click your domain.
3. Click Create record.
4. Routing policy: Simple routing → Define simple record.
5. Fill in:
   • Record name: go (prefix only — Route 53 appends the parent domain automatically)
   • Record type: CNAME — Routes traffic to another domain name
   • Value/Route traffic to: Simple routing endpoint type → IP address or another value → caddy.formslug.com
   • TTL: 300 (Route 53’s default is fine)
6. Click Create records.

OVH

1. Sign in at ovh.com.
2. Top menu → Web Cloud → Domains → click your domain.
3. Tab → DNS Zone.
4. Click Add an entry.
5. Select CNAME as the record type → click Next.
6. Fill in:
   • Sub-domain: go
   • TTL: Default
   • Target: caddy.formslug.com. (OVH requires the trailing dot)
7. Click Next → confirm.

OVH propagation is usually fast (~5 minutes), but the dashboard may show “pending” longer.

Gandi

1. Sign in at admin.gandi.net.
2. Click your domain.
3. Tab → DNS records.
4. Click Add.
5. Fill in:
   • Type: CNAME
   • Name: go
   • TTL: 1800 (Gandi minimum is 5 minutes)
   • Hostname: caddy.formslug.com.
6. Click Create.

Hover

1. Sign in at hover.com.
2. Click your domain.
3. Tab → DNS.
4. Click Add a record.
5. Fill in:
   • Type: CNAME
   • Hostname: go
   • Target host: caddy.formslug.com
   • TTL: 15 minutes
6. Click Save.

What if my provider isn’t listed?

Every DNS provider supports CNAME records — the UI just varies. Look for these clues:

• A menu item called DNS, DNS Records, Zone Editor, or Advanced DNS.
• An “Add record” or “Add resource record” button.
• Fields labeled some combination of Type / Host / Name / Subdomain (left side) and Value / Target / Data / Points to (right side).

Use:

Field	Value
Type	CNAME
Host / Name / Subdomain	the prefix only (e.g. go), not the full domain
Value / Target / Points to	caddy.formslug.com.
TTL	leave default, or 3600

Common gotchas

• Trailing dot. Some providers require caddy.formslug.com. (with the trailing dot) — it’s how DNS marks the value as a fully-qualified domain name. If you see an error about “invalid hostname” or “recursive CNAME”, try toggling the trailing dot.
• Cloudflare proxy mode. Leave it on DNS only (gray cloud), not proxied. Orange cloud breaks the TLS handshake during certificate issuance.
• Apex / root domain. A CNAME on yourcompany.com itself (no subdomain) is not allowed by DNS standards. Always use a subdomain like go.yourcompany.com. Most providers won’t even let you save an apex CNAME.
• Existing record conflict. If a CNAME or A record already exists at the same name, your provider will refuse to save the new one. Delete or update the existing record first.
• Mail records (MX) at the same hostname. If you have mail set up at e.g. mail.yourcompany.com, don’t reuse that subdomain for FormSlug — pick a different one like go or links.
• Propagation time. Most providers propagate within 5-30 minutes. A small number (we’ve seen GoDaddy on occasion) take a few hours. FormSlug re-checks automatically and shows you when the record is detected.

Verifying the record

Once you’ve saved the record at your provider, return to Custom domain in the FormSlug dashboard. The status updates automatically:

• Pending — record not detected yet (most common reason: not propagated yet).
• Verified — your custom domain is live and a TLS certificate has been issued.

If status stays on Pending for more than 30 minutes, the most common causes (in order) are:

1. Trailing-dot mismatch — try toggling.
2. Cloudflare proxy still on (orange cloud).
3. Existing conflicting record at the same hostname.
4. Subdomain typo — confirm the host you saved matches the FormSlug-suggested subdomain exactly.

What’s next

• Custom domain setup overview — the bigger picture if you arrived here directly.
• Plans & subscription — custom domains require a Pro plan or higher.