3. Configure a Custom Domain

Overview

This quickstart guides you through configuring a custom domain for your workload. You’ll map your own domain to serve traffic to your application with automatic TLS certificates, load balancing, and geo-routing. What you’ll accomplish:

Register and verify your apex domain
Configure path-based routing to your workload
Access your application via your custom domain

Prerequisites

Completed Quickstart 1 with a running workload
A domain name you own with access to its DNS settings

This quickstart uses example.com as a sample domain. Replace it with your own domain throughout the guide.

So far, you’ve created a GVC (quickstart-gvc) and deployed a workload (hello-world). Now you’ll configure a custom domain to serve traffic to your application.

Console UI
CLI
Terraform
Pulumi

Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

An apex domain (e.g., example.com) must be verified before creating subdomains. Even if you only use subdomains, verify the apex first.

Create the apex domain

Click Domains in the left menu, then click New. Click Advanced, then enter your apex domain (e.g., example.com).

Verify domain ownership

You’ll be prompted to prove ownership by adding a TXT record to your DNS. Add the displayed TXT record to your DNS provider and wait a few minutes for propagation.

Set routing mode to None

Scroll down to Routing Mode and select None since we’re only verifying ownership of the apex domain.

Create the apex domain

Click Create.

Create the apex domain in your production org as a best practice.

Step 2: Configure Your Subdomain

Now configure a subdomain (e.g., app.example.com) to route to your workload.

Create the subdomain

Click Domains > New. Enter your subdomain (e.g., app.example.com).

Select workload

Select the hello-world workload from the quickstart-gvc GVC.

Configure DNS

Add the displayed CNAME record to your DNS provider.

Create the subdomain

Once the DNS record is configured, click Create.

Control Plane automatically provisions TLS certificates once DNS propagates and your workload is ready. This may take a few minutes.

Step 3: Test Your Domain

Open https://app.example.com in your browser. Your application loads with a valid TLS certificate.

Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

First, attempt to create the apex domain:

cpln domain create --name example.com

The command returns an error with the TXT record you need to add to prove ownership. Add one of the displayed TXT records to your DNS provider and wait a few minutes for propagation, then run the command again:

cpln domain create --name example.com

Once ownership is verified, the domain is created successfully.

Step 2: Create Domain Configuration

Create a YAML file domain.yaml with your domain configuration:

kind: domain
name: app.example.com
spec:
  dnsMode: cname
  ports:
    - number: 443
      protocol: http2
      routes:
        - prefix: /
          workloadLink: //gvc/quickstart-gvc/workload/hello-world

Apply the configuration:

cpln apply -f domain.yaml

Step 3: Configure DNS

Get the GVC alias:

cpln gvc get quickstart-gvc -o yaml

Look for the alias field in the output:

alias: abc123xyz

Add a CNAME record to your DNS provider with the following values:

Type	Host	Value	TTL
CNAME	app	`<your-alias>.t.cpln.app`	300

Replace <your-alias> with the alias value from the output above.

Step 4: Verify

After DNS propagates, access your application at https://app.example.com.

Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

Add to your main.tf to verify domain ownership:

resource "cpln_domain" "apex" {
  name        = "example.com"
  description = "Apex domain for verification"

  spec {
    dns_mode = "cname"

    ports {
      number   = 443
      protocol = "http2"
      
      tls {}
    }
  }
}

Apply the configuration to see the TXT records you need to add to your DNS:

terraform apply

The output contains the TXT record you need to add to your DNS provider to prove ownership. Add the TXT record and wait a few minutes for propagation, then run terraform apply again to create the domain.

Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

Add the subdomain and route configuration:

resource "cpln_domain" "app" {
  depends_on  = [cpln_domain.apex]
  name        = "app.example.com"
  description = "Application domain"

  spec {
    dns_mode = "cname"

    ports {
      number   = 443
      protocol = "http2"

      tls {}
    }
  }
}

resource "cpln_domain_route" "route" {
  depends_on = [cpln_domain.app]

  domain_link   = cpln_domain.app.self_link
  domain_port   = 443
  prefix        = "/"
  workload_link = cpln_workload.hello-world.self_link
}

output "domain_endpoint" {
  value = "https://app.example.com"
}

output "dns_cname_record" {
  value = "Type: CNAME | Host: app | Value: ${cpln_gvc.quickstart.alias}.t.cpln.app | TTL: 300"
}

Step 3: Apply and Configure DNS

terraform apply

The dns_cname_record output shows the CNAME record you need to add to your DNS provider. The value will be in the format <gvcAlias>.t.cpln.app.

Step 4: Verify

After DNS propagates, access your application at https://app.example.com.

View the full domain resource options in the Terraform Registry documentation.

Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

TypeScript
Python
Go
C#

Add to your index.ts:

// Verify apex domain ownership
const apexDomain = new cpln.Domain("apex-domain", {
  name: "example.com",
  description: "Apex domain for verification",
  spec: {
    dnsMode: "cname",
    ports: [
      {
        number: 443,
        protocol: "http2",
        tls: {},
      },
    ],
  },
});

Add to your __main__.py:

# Verify apex domain ownership
apex_domain = cpln.Domain("apex-domain",
    name="example.com",
    description="Apex domain for verification",
    spec=cpln.DomainSpecArgs(
        dns_mode="cname",
        ports=[cpln.DomainSpecPortArgs(
            number=443,
            protocol="http2",
            tls=cpln.DomainSpecPortTlsArgs(),
        )],
    ))

Add to your main.go:

// Verify apex domain ownership
apexDomain, err := cpln.NewDomain(ctx, "apex-domain", &cpln.DomainArgs{
	Name:        pulumi.String("example.com"),
	Description: pulumi.String("Apex domain for verification"),
	Spec: &cpln.DomainSpecArgs{
		DnsMode: pulumi.String("cname"),
		Ports: cpln.DomainSpecPortArray{
			&cpln.DomainSpecPortArgs{
				Number:   pulumi.Int(443),
				Protocol: pulumi.String("http2"),
				Tls:      &cpln.DomainSpecPortTlsArgs{},
			},
		},
	},
})
if err != nil {
	return err
}
_ = apexDomain // Used in Step 2

Add to your Program.cs:

// Verify apex domain ownership
var apexDomain = new Domain("apex-domain", new DomainArgs
{
    Name = "example.com",
    Description = "Apex domain for verification",
    Spec = new DomainSpecArgs
    {
        DnsMode = "cname",
        Ports = new[]
        {
            new DomainSpecPortArgs
            {
                Number = 443,
                Protocol = "http2",
                Tls = new DomainSpecPortTlsArgs {}
            }
        }
    }
});

Deploy the configuration to see the TXT records you need to add to your DNS:

pulumi up

The output contains the TXT record you need to add to your DNS provider to prove ownership. Add the TXT record and wait a few minutes for propagation, then run pulumi up again to create the domain.

Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

TypeScript
Python
Go
C#

// Configure subdomain
const appDomain = new cpln.Domain("app-domain", {
  name: "app.example.com",
  description: "Application domain",
  spec: {
    dnsMode: "cname",
    ports: [
      {
        number: 443,
        protocol: "http2",
        tls: {},
      },
    ],
  },
}, { dependsOn: [apexDomain] });

// Configure route
const route = new cpln.DomainRoute("route", {
  domainLink: appDomain.selfLink,
  domainPort: 443,
  prefix: "/",
  workloadLink: workload.selfLink,
}, { dependsOn: [appDomain] });

export const domain_endpoint = "https://app.example.com";
export const dns_cname_record = gvc.alias.apply(
  alias => `Type: CNAME | Host: app | Value: ${alias}.t.cpln.app | TTL: 300`
);

# Configure subdomain
app_domain = cpln.Domain("app-domain",
    name="app.example.com",
    description="Application domain",
    spec=cpln.DomainSpecArgs(
        dns_mode="cname",
        ports=[cpln.DomainSpecPortArgs(
            number=443,
            protocol="http2",
            tls=cpln.DomainSpecPortTlsArgs(),
        )],
    ),
    opts=pulumi.ResourceOptions(depends_on=[apex_domain]))

# Configure route
route = cpln.DomainRoute("route",
    domain_link=app_domain.self_link,
    domain_port=443,
    prefix="/",
    workload_link=workload.self_link,
    opts=pulumi.ResourceOptions(depends_on=[app_domain]))

pulumi.export("domain_endpoint", "https://app.example.com")
pulumi.export("dns_cname_record", gvc.alias.apply(
    lambda alias: f"Type: CNAME | Host: app | Value: {alias}.t.cpln.app | TTL: 300"
))

// Configure subdomain
appDomain, err := cpln.NewDomain(ctx, "app-domain", &cpln.DomainArgs{
	Name:        pulumi.String("app.example.com"),
	Description: pulumi.String("Application domain"),
	Spec: &cpln.DomainSpecArgs{
		DnsMode: pulumi.String("cname"),
		Ports: cpln.DomainSpecPortArray{
			&cpln.DomainSpecPortArgs{
				Number:   pulumi.Int(443),
				Protocol: pulumi.String("http2"),
				Tls:      &cpln.DomainSpecPortTlsArgs{},
			},
		},
	},
}, pulumi.DependsOn([]pulumi.Resource{apexDomain}))
if err != nil {
	return err
}

// Configure route
_, err = cpln.NewDomainRoute(ctx, "route", &cpln.DomainRouteArgs{
	DomainLink:   appDomain.SelfLink,
	DomainPort:   pulumi.Int(443),
	Prefix:       pulumi.String("/"),
	WorkloadLink: workload.SelfLink,
}, pulumi.DependsOn([]pulumi.Resource{appDomain}))
if err != nil {
	return err
}

ctx.Export("domain_endpoint", pulumi.String("https://app.example.com"))
ctx.Export("dns_cname_record", gvc.Alias.ApplyT(func(alias string) string {
	return fmt.Sprintf("Type: CNAME | Host: app | Value: %s.t.cpln.app | TTL: 300", alias)
}).(pulumi.StringOutput))

// Configure subdomain
var appDomain = new Domain("app-domain", new DomainArgs
{
    Name = "app.example.com",
    Description = "Application domain",
    Spec = new DomainSpecArgs
    {
        DnsMode = "cname",
        Ports = new[]
        {
            new DomainSpecPortArgs
            {
                Number = 443,
                Protocol = "http2",
                Tls = new DomainSpecPortTlsArgs {}
            }
        }
    }
}, new CustomResourceOptions { DependsOn = { apexDomain } });

// Configure route
var route = new DomainRoute("route", new DomainRouteArgs
{
    DomainLink = appDomain.SelfLink,
    DomainPort = 443,
    Prefix = "/",
    WorkloadLink = workload.SelfLink
}, new CustomResourceOptions { DependsOn = { appDomain } });

Update your return dictionary to include the new outputs:

return new Dictionary<string, object?>
{
    ["canonical_endpoint"] = workload.Statuses.Apply(s => s[0].CanonicalEndpoint),
    ["domain_endpoint"] = "https://app.example.com",
    ["dns_cname_record"] = gvc.Alias.Apply(alias =>
        $"Type: CNAME | Host: app | Value: {alias}.t.cpln.app | TTL: 300")
};

Step 3: Deploy and Configure DNS

pulumi up

The dns_cname_record output shows the CNAME record you need to add to your DNS provider. The value will be in the format <gvcAlias>.t.cpln.app.

Step 4: Verify

After DNS propagates, access your application at https://app.example.com.

View the full domain resource options in the Pulumi Registry documentation.

Routing Modes

Control Plane supports two routing modes:

Mode	DNS Record	Best For
Path-based	CNAME	Multiple workloads on different paths (`/api`, `/web`)
Subdomain-based	NS	Unique subdomain per workload (`api.app.example.com`)

Path-based routing examples

Route different paths to different workloads:

https://app.example.com/api → API workload
https://app.example.com/web → Frontend workload
https://app.example.com/ → Default workload

Subdomain-based routing examples

Each workload gets its own subdomain automatically:

https://api.app.example.com → API workload
https://web.app.example.com → Frontend workload

Requires NS record delegation to Control Plane.

What’s Configured

Your domain now provides:

Automatic TLS - Certificates provisioned and renewed automatically
Global load balancing - Traffic routed to the nearest healthy location
Path-based routing - Multiple workloads can share the same domain

Continue

4. Service-to-Service Communication

Learn how workloads communicate internally with mTLS encryption.

Clean Up

If you want to stop here instead, delete the resources created in this quickstart:

Console UI
CLI
Terraform
Pulumi

Navigate to Domains, select your domain, and click Delete.

cpln domain delete app.example.com
cpln domain delete example.com

terraform destroy

pulumi destroy

Remember to remove the DNS records from your DNS provider after deleting the domain from Control Plane.

Documentation

Quickstart

Concepts

Core

Reference

3. Configure a Custom Domain

Overview

Prerequisites

Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

Step 2: Configure Your Subdomain

Step 3: Test Your Domain

Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

Step 2: Create Domain Configuration

Step 3: Configure DNS

Step 4: Verify

Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

Step 3: Apply and Configure DNS

Step 4: Verify

Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

Step 3: Deploy and Configure DNS

Step 4: Verify

Routing Modes

What’s Configured

Continue

4. Service-to-Service Communication

Clean Up

Documentation

Quickstart

Concepts

Core

Reference

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

​Step 2: Configure Your Subdomain

​Step 3: Test Your Domain

​Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

​Step 2: Create Domain Configuration

​Step 3: Configure DNS

​Step 4: Verify

​Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

​Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

​Step 3: Apply and Configure DNS

​Step 4: Verify

​Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

​Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

​Step 3: Deploy and Configure DNS

​Step 4: Verify

​Routing Modes

​What’s Configured

​Continue

4. Service-to-Service Communication

​Clean Up

Overview

Prerequisites

Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

Step 2: Configure Your Subdomain

Step 3: Test Your Domain

Step 1: Register Your Apex Domain

Step 2: Create Domain Configuration

Step 3: Configure DNS

Step 4: Verify

Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

Step 3: Apply and Configure DNS

Step 4: Verify

Step 1: Define the Apex Domain

Step 2: Define the Subdomain and Route

Step 3: Deploy and Configure DNS

Step 4: Verify

Routing Modes

What’s Configured

Continue

Clean Up