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Custom domains

A custom domain lets you serve short links under a hostname you own, instead of the default lksn.app. So lksn.app/promo becomes go.acme.com/promo.

Branded short links scan better in cold-traffic settings (people trust a domain they recognize), and they're great for QR codes on packaging where the URL prints under the QR pattern.

Plan requirements

  • FREE: no custom domains. Stay on the shared lksn.app.
  • PRO: one custom domain.
  • BUSINESS: unlimited.

If you're on FREE and try to add a domain, you'll be pushed to the upgrade flow.

What you need

  • A domain (or subdomain) you control.
  • Access to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, namecheap, etc.).
  • About 10 minutes for DNS propagation and TLS provisioning.

We strongly recommend a subdomain like go.example.com or lks.example.com rather than your apex domain. Subdomains are easier to point at us and easier to retire later.

The flow

Adding a domain has four steps. The portal walks you through each one:

  1. Add the domain — you tell us the hostname.
  2. Add the DNS record — we give you a CNAME (or, for apex, an A record) to add at your DNS provider.
  3. Verify — we poll DNS, confirm the record is present, and start provisioning TLS.
  4. Activate — once TLS is live, the domain is usable for short links.

Step-by-step

1. Add the domain

In the portal, go to Settings → Domains (or /dashboard/domains). Click Add domain.

Enter the hostname — e.g., go.acme.com. Click Add.

The domain row appears with status pending. We show you the DNS record to add next.

2. Add the DNS record

You'll see something like:

Type:   CNAME
Name:   go.acme.com   (or just "go" depending on your DNS UI)
Value:  edge.linksnap.com
TTL:    300 (or auto)

Add this record in your DNS provider's UI. Save.

If you're pointing at an apex domain (e.g., acme.com itself), CNAME at apex usually isn't allowed — use the A record we provide instead (Cloudflare, Netlify, and a few others support CNAME flattening at apex; ours uses an A record fallback for portability).

3. Verify

Back in the portal, click Verify. We poll your DNS for the new record. This usually resolves in under a minute, but propagation can take up to 24 hours depending on your provider.

While polling, the status moves to verifying. When the record is detected, we kick off TLS provisioning via Let's Encrypt and the status changes to provisioning.

Don't see the record propagated? Wait two minutes and try again. dig go.acme.com CNAME +short from your terminal will tell you the truth. If the record is correct but verification keeps failing, double-check you haven't typed linksnap.com instead of edge.linksnap.com.

4. Activate

Once TLS is issued (typically 1-2 minutes after verification succeeds), the status moves to active. The domain is now usable.

When you create new short links, the Domain picker offers your custom domain. Existing links stay on whatever domain they were created with — we don't auto-migrate.

TLS renewal

Let's Encrypt certificates last 90 days. We rotate yours automatically about 30 days before expiry. You don't have to do anything.

If renewal ever fails (e.g., the CNAME was removed), you'll get a portal banner and an email to the workspace admin. Restoring the CNAME triggers renewal on the next cycle.

Domain status reference

Status Means
pending Added but no DNS record detected yet.
verifying DNS record found; we're confirming and provisioning TLS.
active Live and usable.
failed Verification or provisioning failed. Click Retry after fixing DNS.
disabled You disabled it from the portal; redirects return 410 Gone. Re-enable any time.

Removing a domain

Click Remove on the domain row.

This does not unbind existing links. Short links on the removed domain stop resolving (they return 404 because the edge no longer accepts that hostname), but the link records stay in your workspace. You can move them to another domain via the API or by deleting and recreating.

We also stop renewing the TLS certificate. If you re-add the same domain later, we'll provision a fresh certificate.

Edge cases

  • The domain belongs to someone else's workspace already. We block adds when another active workspace owns the hostname. Contact us if you've taken over the domain.
  • Wildcards. Not supported. Add each subdomain explicitly.
  • HTTP-only. All custom domains are HTTPS-only. We redirect HTTP to HTTPS at the edge.
  • www prefix. www.go.acme.com is a separate domain from go.acme.com. Add both if you want both to work.

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