Custom domain

Connect your own domain (e.g. myblog.com or docs.mycompany.com) to your Flowershow site from the Flowershow dashboard under Site Settings → Access, instead of using the default {sitename}-{username}.flowershow.me URL.

What you'll need

• A premium plan on your Flowershow site
• A domain name you own (purchased from a registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.)
• Access to your domain's DNS settings (usually through your registrar's control panel)

Setup

1. Add your domain

Go to Settings → Access → Custom Domain, enter your domain name (e.g., mysite.com or docs.mysite.com), and click Save Changes.

You can use either an apex domain (e.g. myblog.com) or a subdomain (e.g. docs.mycompany.com). Subdomains are useful when your main domain is used for another purpose (e.g. your company website).

2. Verify domain ownership (if required)

If Flowershow shows a "Pending Verification" status, you need to prove domain ownership by adding a TXT record to your DNS settings.

To add the TXT record:

1. Log into your domain registrar
2. Find the DNS management section ("DNS Settings", "Advanced DNS", "DNS Records", etc.)
3. Add a new TXT record with the Name and Value exactly as shown in your Flowershow dashboard
4. Save and wait for DNS propagation (up to 24h)

If a TXT record with the same name already exists

If you already have a TXT record with the same name (e.g. _vercel) from a previous verification, it can cause the new verification to fail — even if the old value is still present. To fix this:

1. Remove the existing TXT record for that name
2. Add a fresh TXT record with the same name and the exact value shown in your Flowershow dashboard
3. Wait for DNS propagation

3. Configure DNS records

Once ownership is verified, point your domain to Flowershow's servers using the values shown in your dashboard.

For a root domain (e.g. myblog.com):

• Add an A record
• Optionally add a CNAME record for www so that www.myblog.com also works

For a subdomain (e.g. docs.mycompany.com):

• Add a CNAME record as specified in the dashboard

The process is the same as adding TXT records: go to DNS management, add a new record with the type, name, value, and TTL shown in the dashboard.

4. Wait for propagation

DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate fully (depending on the previous TTL values). The dashboard status updates automatically as Flowershow detects your configuration.

Domain status

• 🟡 Pending Verification — Add TXT record to verify ownership
• 🔴 Invalid Configuration — DNS records not set correctly or still propagating
• 🔵 Valid Configuration — Domain setup complete

Troubleshooting

"Invalid Configuration" won't clear

1. Verify DNS records match the dashboard exactly
2. Remove any conflicting A records for the @ host
3. Allow more time for DNS propagation (up to 24h)

"Pending Verification" won't clear

1. Double-check the TXT record matches the dashboard exactly
2. If a TXT record with that name already existed, remove it and re-add with the new value
3. Wait for DNS propagation

Domain works intermittently

Most likely caused by multiple A records for the root domain. DNS resolvers round-robin between them, so only some requests reach Flowershow. Remove all A records for the @ host except the one provided by Flowershow.

SSL handshake errors

Two SSL certificates are involved when you use a DNS proxy like Cloudflare:

1. Vercel's SSL certificate — handles HTTPS for direct connections to Vercel's servers
2. DNS provider's SSL certificate — handles HTTPS between users and the proxy

Handshake errors occur during initial setup while the DNS provider's certificate is being provisioned. This is temporary and typically resolves within 5–10 minutes. No action needed.

Understanding DNS

DNS is the internet's directory: when a browser requests myblog.com, it queries DNS servers to resolve the domain to an IP address.

Your domain registrar (where you bought the domain) may not be the same as your DNS provider (where DNS records are stored). Common DNS providers include the registrar itself (GoDaddy, Namecheap), cloud services (Cloudflare, AWS Route 53), or your hosting company's nameservers.

When you update DNS records, resolvers around the world have the old values cached. Each cached record has a TTL (Time To Live). Resolvers wait for TTL to expire before checking for updates — this is DNS propagation, and it can take minutes to 24 hours. It cannot be sped up.

DNS glossary