Link your custom domain

Overview

Every BeNimble store comes with a built-in web address that looks like yourstore.benimble.store. It works perfectly well, but most merchants want to trade under their own domain name — something like www.yourstore.co.za.

Linking a custom domain does exactly that. Shoppers reach your store on your own name, you get a free HTTPS certificate automatically, and your store URL is used across your links, emails and marketing.

The whole process happens under Store Settings → Custom Domain and comes down to three steps: add your domain in the portal, add two DNS records at your domain provider, and wait for BeNimble to verify them.

Before You Start

You will need:

• A domain. If you do not have one yet, contact the BeNimble support team at [email protected] — we can supply domains. You can also buy one yourself from a registrar such as Domains.co.za, Afrihost, Xneelo or GoDaddy.
• Access to your DNS settings. This is usually a DNS, Manage DNS, Zone Editor or Advanced DNS section in your registrar's control panel. If your web developer or IT provider manages this, you will need their help for one step.
• A decision on www or root. See Root Domain vs www below before you add anything — this choice matters.

You can have one custom domain connected at a time. Once a domain is linked, the add domain field disappears until you remove the existing one.

Step 1: Add Your Domain in the Portal

1. Go to Store Settings → Custom Domain.
2. In the Enter Domain Name you want to connect field, type your domain — for example www.yourstore.co.za.
3. Click Add New URL Referreal.

The field is already prefixed with https://, so you only need the domain itself. If you paste a full URL it is cleaned up for you — the scheme, any path, query string, port number and trailing dot are all stripped, and the result is lowercased.

A few things are rejected outright:

• IP addresses — you must supply a hostname
• Anything without a TLD, so mystore fails but mystore.co.za works
• Domains with invalid characters, or labels starting or ending with a hyphen

The DNS setup instructions then appear on the same page, ready for the next step.

Step 2: Add the DNS Records

A DNS SETUP panel now appears on the page with the exact records to create. It gives you three columns — Type, Name and Value / Target — and a Copy button next to each value so you do not have to retype anything.

You will normally be given two CNAME records. For a store connecting www.yourstore.co.za they look like this:

• Type CNAME, Name www.yourstore.co.za, Value shops.benimble.store — this record sends your visitors to your store.
• Type CNAME, Name _acme-challenge.www.yourstore.co.za, Value www.yourstore.co.za.<unique-id>.dcv.cloudflare.com — this record proves you own the domain so your HTTPS certificate can be issued.

Now go to your domain provider and add both records exactly as shown:

1. Log in to your registrar or DNS host.
2. Find the DNS or Zone Editor section for your domain.
3. Add each record with the exact Type, Name and Value from the table.
4. Save.

Some older setups show a TXT record instead of the second CNAME. If that is what your table shows, add the TXT record instead — always follow the records on your screen.

A few DNS providers want the Name field entered without your domain on the end, so www rather than www.yourstore.co.za, and _acme-challenge.www rather than the full hostname. If yours behaves that way, drop the domain portion — the record must resolve to the full name shown in the table.

The DNS SETUP table only shows while your domain is Waiting for DNS. Once it moves on to verification the table disappears, so add your records before navigating away.

Root Domain vs www

The traffic record is a CNAME on the exact hostname you submitted. That matters:

• If you connect www.yourstore.co.za, a normal CNAME works everywhere. This is the easy path and the one we recommend.
• If you connect the root domain yourstore.co.za (also called the apex), you need a DNS provider that supports CNAME flattening, ALIAS or ANAME records. A plain CNAME is not allowed at the root of a domain.

If your DNS host does not offer one of those record types, connect www.yourstore.co.za instead, and set up a redirect from the root domain to the www version at your registrar.

Step 3: Wait for Verification

There is nothing more for you to do. BeNimble checks your DNS automatically and moves the domain through each stage on its own.

The status panel on the Custom Domain page shows you where things stand:

• Domain – the hostname being connected
• Status – the current stage (see below)
• Origin server – the BeNimble server your domain points at
• Last checked – when we last tested your DNS

What each status means

• Waiting for DNS – your records have not been detected yet. This is normal right after you add them.
• Verified, issuing TLS – your DNS is correct. Your HTTPS certificate is being issued and deployed.
• Active – setup is complete and your domain is serving traffic.
• Error – something went wrong. A Last Error message is shown with the detail.
• Suspended – the domain has been removed from your store.

DNS changes take time to spread across the internet — anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on your provider. Your HTTPS certificate is issued for you automatically; you do not need to buy or install an SSL certificate.

If you are stuck, email [email protected] before that happens.

When Your Domain Goes Live

Once the status reaches Active:

• Your store address is promoted to https://yourstore.co.za, and that becomes the URL BeNimble uses for your store
• You are sent a confirmation email letting you know the domain is live
• The DNS setup instructions disappear, leaving just the status panel

Visit your domain in a browser to confirm everything looks right.

Removing a Custom Domain

If you need to disconnect your domain — you are moving it elsewhere, or you made a mistake and want to start again:

1. Go to Store Settings → Custom Domain.
2. Click Remove Custom Domain in the status panel.
3. Read the confirmation message and click CONFIRM REMOVE DOMAIN.

Be aware of what this does:

• Visitors will no longer reach your store on that domain
• Your store address reverts to your built-in .benimble.store address
• The DNS records at your provider are not deleted — you may want to clean those up yourself

Once removed, the add domain field reappears and you can connect a domain again, including the same one.

Troubleshooting

These are the messages and situations merchants run into most often.

This domain is already linked to another store

The domain is connected to a different BeNimble store. Each domain can only be used by one store. Remove it from the other store first, or contact support.

This domain already exists for your store

You have already added this exact domain. Check the status panel on the same page rather than adding it again.

Too many domain create requests for this store. Please try again later

There is a limit of five domain requests per store per hour. Wait an hour and try again.

The domain must include a TLD, for example example.com

You entered a name without an extension. Enter the full domain, such as yourstore.co.za.

IP addresses are not allowed. Please provide a hostname

Enter your domain name, not a server IP address.

Status is stuck on Waiting for DNS

Double-check both records at your provider — the most common causes are a typo in the target value, the record being saved on the wrong hostname, or the root-domain CNAME problem described above. Some providers also cache aggressively; give it a few hours.

Status shows Error

Read the Last Error message shown under the status panel. If it is not clear what to fix, send that message to support.

Tips

Keep the following in mind while you connect your domain.

• Use www.yourstore.co.za unless you have confirmed your DNS provider supports CNAME flattening at the root.
• Use the Copy buttons rather than retyping DNS values — a single wrong character stops verification.
• Add both records in one sitting; a missing verification record leaves you stuck on Waiting for DNS.
• Connect your domain before you start advertising your store, so your marketing points at the right address from day one.

Stuck on the DNS step? Email [email protected] with your domain name and a screenshot of your DNS settings, and the support team will help you get the records right.