Skip to main content
By default your shop lives at yourshop.shoppex.io. To run it on your own domain, for example shop.yourbrand.com or yourbrand.com, add a custom domain from Store → Domains (/store/domains). This page walks through the DNS setup in detail, because it is where most people get stuck.

​
What you need

  • A domain you own, registered with any registrar: Namecheap, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or another.
  • Access to that domain’s DNS settings.
  • A few minutes for DNS to propagate.

​
Subdomain vs. apex (root domain)

You can connect either:
  • Subdomain — shop.yourbrand.com, store.yourbrand.com, www.yourbrand.com. Easier. Works on every DNS provider.
  • Apex / root domain — yourbrand.com, with no prefix. Harder. This only works if your DNS provider supports ALIAS or ANAME records, or if you migrate DNS to Cloudflare.
If you are not sure, start with a subdomain. You can switch to apex later.

​
Setup — subdomain

​
Step 1: Add the domain in Shoppex

  1. Open Store → Domains in your Shoppex dashboard.
  2. Click Add Custom Domain.
  3. Type your subdomain, for example shop.yourbrand.com.
  4. Click Add Domain.
Shoppex shows a DNS Configuration dialog with the initial CNAME: For the CNAME, use only the subdomain part as the name, for example shop. Most DNS interfaces append your domain automatically.

​
Step 2: Add the CNAME to your DNS provider

Open your registrar’s DNS dashboard and add the CNAME record exactly as shown. Save it.

​
Step 3: Trigger verification

Back in Shoppex, open Domains, click the row for your new domain, then click Check Verification. This step pulls the TXT records from Cloudflare. Shoppex shows you the two TXT records you now need to add: one for ownership verification, one for SSL/TLS validation. Both names and values are unique to your domain. Copy them exactly.

​
Step 4: Add the TXT records and verify again

Add the two TXT records in your registrar’s DNS dashboard. Click Check Verification again in Shoppex. If DNS has propagated, the status moves to Verified. DNS propagation typically takes a few minutes to a few hours, depending on your registrar. There is no fixed time. If it is not ready the first time, click Check Verification again.

​
Step 5: Wait for SSL

After verification, Cloudflare issues an SSL certificate for the domain. The status in the dashboard moves from Pending to Active once the certificate is live. This typically takes a few minutes to an hour. If SSL stays on Pending for more than an hour, use Refresh SSL in the domain row’s menu to start the certificate process again. Once active, your shop is live on the custom domain.

​
Setup — apex / root domain

Apex domains do not allow CNAME records, by the DNS specification. You need one of these: Cloudflare supports CNAME flattening at the root: you can put a CNAME at @ and Cloudflare resolves it transparently. This is the cleanest solution.
  1. Add your domain to Cloudflare. The free plan works.
  2. Update your registrar’s nameservers to the two Cloudflare gives you when you add the domain.
  3. Once Cloudflare has the domain, follow the subdomain setup steps above. Add a CNAME at @ pointing to custom.myshoppex.io.
  4. Keep the CNAME on DNS only (grey cloud icon, not orange). Cloudflare proxying breaks the custom-hostname verification.

​
Option B: ALIAS / ANAME record at your existing DNS

Some DNS providers, for example DNSimple, NS1, easyDNS, and Hover, support ALIAS or ANAME records: a CNAME equivalent that is legal at the apex. If your provider supports it, use it the same way as a CNAME, pointing to custom.myshoppex.io.

​
Option C: Use a subdomain instead

If you do not want to move DNS, or your provider does not support ALIAS, connect www.yourbrand.com, or another subdomain, instead of the bare root. You can then configure your DNS to redirect yourbrand.com to www.yourbrand.com. Most registrars offer this as a simple toggle.

​
Multiple domains pointing at one shop

You can attach extra domains to a single shop, for example a typo-catching alias or a regional variant. Add them the same way, under Store → Domains, but choose the Additional type instead of Custom. The Custom domain is your shop’s primary URL. Additional domains route to the same content, then redirect to the Custom domain for SEO consolidation.

​
Removing a custom domain

Disabling a custom domain from the dashboard reverts the shop to its default *.shoppex.io URL. Shoppex keeps the DNS records and the Cloudflare-side configuration, so re-enabling is instant and does not require re-verifying DNS.

​
Common pitfalls

  • “Domain already registered to Paylix.” This is an old internal error message. It means the domain is already in use by another Shoppex shop (Paylix is a legacy name). Open a ticket through Discord or Telegram if you believe the domain is yours.
  • Cloudflare proxy turned on during verification. If the orange-cloud proxy is enabled on the CNAME, Cloudflare custom-hostname verification fails silently. Keep it grey-cloud (DNS only) until the domain is fully verified and SSL is active. You can turn the proxy on afterward, but for storefronts there is rarely a reason to.
  • No automatic retry. Shoppex does not poll DNS in the background. After you add records, click Check Verification in the dashboard yourself. If it does not verify, check the records again, then try once more. DNS propagation can still be in progress.
  • Subdomain works, apex does not. If shop.yourbrand.com verifies but yourbrand.com does not, your DNS provider does not support ALIAS at the root. Use Option A or Option C above.
  • Apex with A records pointing somewhere else. An existing A record at @ that points to a different server, for example a website builder or an old host, conflicts with this setup. Delete that record before you add the ALIAS record or the CNAME flattening.
  • TLS taking forever. If SSL stays on pending_issuance for more than an hour, click Refresh SSL in the domain row’s dropdown menu. This starts Cloudflare’s certificate process again.