A custom domain, like yourcompany.com, plays a critical role in establishing your brand and building trust online. Rapyd supports linking custom domains to your website in two ways: Managed Domains and Self-managed Domains. This guide explains these options and their benefits to help you choose the best fit for your needs.
Why You Need a Custom Domain
Professional Appearance: Using your own domain instead of a default or environment domain demonstrates legitimacy and professionalism to your visitors.
Branding: Custom domains showcase your brand in the URL, increasing recognition and trust.
SEO Benefits: Custom domains improve search engine optimization (SEO), helping your site rank higher in search results compared to default domains.
Managed Domains
A Managed Domain is when you configure your domain to use Rapyd’s nameservers. With this option, you can manage your DNS records from the Rapyd dashboard, allowing you to simplify website management while benefiting from advanced features.
Benefits of Managed Domains
Simplified DNS Management: Manage all DNS records directly in the Rapyd dashboard, streamlining setup and troubleshooting.
Boosted Performance with Rapyd CDN: Improve speed and reliability with Rapyd’s Content Delivery Network (CDN), which caches static content for faster delivery worldwide.
Enhanced Security with Rapyd’s WAF: Protect your site with Rapyd’s Web Application Firewall (WAF), which adds robust security against malicious attacks.
Faster Support for DNS Issues: With DNS records visible in the Rapyd dashboard, our support team can quickly resolve DNS-related problems, minimizing downtime.
For instructions on how to set up a managed domain, visit our How to Set Up a Custom Domain guide.
Self-managed Domains
A Self-managed Domain uses nameservers from a third-party provider, such as your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.). In this case, DNS management remains external, and you configure and maintain the DNS records there.
Important Notes About Self-managed Domains
No Rapyd CDN: Self-managed domains cannot use Rapyd’s CDN, which may impact speed and performance.
External DNS Management: You’ll need to manage your DNS settings externally and ensure the domain points to the correct Rapyd environment.
For instructions on how to set up a self-managed domain, visit our How to Set Up a Custom Domain guide.
How to Decide Between Managed and Self-managed Domains
Choose Managed Domains if you prefer centralized DNS management, improved performance with CDN, and additional security features.
Choose Self-managed Domains if you already use a third-party service for DNS (e.g., Cloudflare) and prefer to retain external control.
Conclusion
Custom domains are a key element of a professional and trustworthy online presence. Whether you choose a managed or self-managed domain depends on your specific needs. For detailed instructions on setting up your domain, visit our How to Set Up a Custom Domain guide. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our support team for assistance.