Troubleshoot custom domains

Most custom domain problems come from a DNS record that is missing, conflicting or mistyped. Find your symptom, check the cause, apply the fix, then click Refresh records in the domain’s DNS records sheet. For how domains work, see Custom domains.

Check what your DNS publishes

DNS changes can take from minutes to hours to reach everyone, depending on the record’s TTL. Before you change anything, compare what your DNS returns with the DNS records sheet. For shop.example.com:

dig +short shop.example.com A                         # pointing record (A)
dig +short shop.example.com CNAME                     # pointing record (CNAME), or a conflicting one
dig +short shop.example.com AAAA                      # IPv6 records left from a previous host
dig +short _cf-custom-hostname.shop.example.com TXT   # ownership record
dig +short _acme-challenge.shop.example.com TXT       # SSL validation record
dig +short _acme-challenge.shop.example.com CNAME     # SSL validation record of a wildcard domain
dig +short shop.example.com CAA                       # allowed certificate authorities

Each value must match the sheet exactly. If a command returns nothing, the record isn’t published yet, or its name is wrong.

The domain stays in Verification

The ownership or SSL validation record is missing or wrong, or something else on the domain blocks validation. Check, in this order:

Cause	Fix
An `A` or `CNAME` record on the domain still points at a previous host	Delete it. With an existing record on the name, the certificate authority tries to validate through it and fails.
The record name is doubled, such as `_cf-custom-hostname.shop.example.com.example.com`	Your DNS provider adds the domain itself. Use the short name from the sheet (`_cf-custom-hostname.shop`).
The `_acme-challenge` record has the wrong type	Use `TXT` for a standard domain and `CNAME` for a wildcard domain, as the sheet shows.
Old `_cf-custom-hostname` or `_acme-challenge` records from an earlier attempt	Delete them and add the current values. Every new attempt gets new values.
The value is mistyped or has a space or quotes	Copy it again with the copy button.
Your DNS is on Cloudflare and the `CNAME` record is proxied (orange cloud)	Set it to DNS only until the domain is Active. See Domains on Cloudflare DNS.
A `CAA` record doesn’t allow Sevalla’s certificate authority	See SSL validation problems.
A long TTL, or the records were added minutes ago	Wait, then click Refresh records.

Sevalla checks the records every 30 minutes for 7 days, and every 10 seconds while the sheet is open.

SSL validation problems

When the last check found a problem, the DNS records sheet shows The last check found problems with the certificate authority’s messages. The usual cause is a CAA record: when a domain has CAA records, only the certificate authorities they name can issue a certificate for it. Add a CAA record that allows Google Trust Services, the authority Sevalla uses:

shop.example.com.  CAA  0 issue "pki.goog"

For an internationalized domain name (with non-ASCII characters), allow Let’s Encrypt instead with 0 issue "letsencrypt.org". If you don’t need CAA records, delete them. A CAA record on a parent domain (example.com) applies to its subdomains too.

Verification timed out

A domain that stays in Verification for 7 days, or whose certificate validation times out, gets the status Timed out, and its DNS records sheet says Verification timed out. Sevalla stops checking it. The status is final:

Fix the records

Check your records against the causes in The domain stays in Verification.

Delete the domain

On the service’s Domains tab, open the domain’s ⋯ menu, click Delete, then click Delete domain.

Add it again

Click Add custom domain and add the same domain. It gets new verification values: replace the old records with them.

The domain stays in Pointing

The domain is verified, but Sevalla doesn’t see it pointing at Sevalla yet.

Cause	Fix
The `A` record has another value than the sheet, or the `CNAME` another target	Update it to the exact value in the Point domain step.
More than one `A` record, one of them for a previous host	Delete the others. Every `A` record of the domain must point at Sevalla.
A `CNAME` record on a provider other than Cloudflare	Use the `A` record the sheet shows.
A wildcard domain without its `*.` record	Add the second pointing record, for `*.` the domain.
The domain was added more than 7 days ago	Sevalla no longer checks it on its own. Click Refresh records after fixing the record.

The domain is Active but shows another site

Some visitors still reach the previous host, or an old version of the site.

Cause	Fix
An `AAAA` record points at the previous host	Delete it. Sevalla uses `A` records only, so IPv6 visitors keep reaching the `AAAA` address.
DNS caches still hold the old records	Wait for the old records’ TTL to expire. Check from another network or with `dig @1.1.1.1 shop.example.com A`.
Your own Cloudflare zone caches the old content	Purge your zone’s cache. Purging Sevalla’s cache doesn’t purge it.
The browser cached a redirect or the old page	Open the domain in a private window.

Too many redirects

The browser shows ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS (or “redirected you too many times”). The usual cause is a domain proxied through your own Cloudflare zone with the SSL/TLS mode Flexible: your zone sends requests to Sevalla over HTTP, Sevalla redirects them to HTTPS, and the loop repeats. Set your zone’s SSL/TLS mode to Full or Full (strict), or set the record to DNS only. If the domain isn’t proxied, check your application’s own redirects, for example a redirect from example.com to www.example.com and another one back.

The browser shows a certificate warning

Cause	Fix
The domain is still in Verification: it has no certificate yet	Finish verification. The certificate is issued when the status changes to Pointing.
A subdomain isn’t covered: `blog.example.com` when you added only `example.com` without Wildcard	Add the subdomain as its own domain, or add `example.com` again with Wildcard.
The visitor uses an old browser without TLS 1.2	Sevalla requires TLS 1.2 or later.

You cannot add the domain

Message	Cause	Fix
`Invalid domain name`	The name isn’t a valid public hostname, starts with `*.`, or uses a reserved name such as `localhost`	Enter a hostname like `shop.example.com`. For subdomains, select Wildcard instead of typing `*.`.
`.ru domain names are not supported`	Sevalla doesn’t serve `.ru` domains	See Acceptable use.
`Domain already exists`	The domain is on another Sevalla service, in your company or another one	Delete it from the other service first. If it isn’t in your company, contact support.
`Custom domains aren’t available on the Hobby size.`	The application’s web process uses the H1 size (the Hobby size)	Click Modify process and pick a larger size. See Scaling.
`Add a payment method or credits to add custom domains.`	The company has no valid payment method or credits	Add a payment method.
`Cannot add a new domain to the application due to the existing restriction`	The company has a restriction on its account	Contact support.
`Failed to add custom domain`	Cloudflare refused the domain	Contact support with the domain name.

You cannot rename the Sevalla domain

Message	Cause	Fix
`This domain name is not allowed`	The name contains a blocked word	Pick another name.
`Failed to update domain`	The name contains a blocked word inside another word: Sevalla also refuses short terms such as `x`, `tor` or `ms` anywhere in the name, so `nextjs` and `storefront` fail	Pick a name without them.
`Domain already exists`	Another service already uses that Sevalla domain	Pick another name.

Update is disabled for a disabled Sevalla domain: enable it first. For every rule, see Rename a Sevalla domain.

Still stuck

Contact support with the domain name, the service it’s on, its status, and the output of the dig commands in Check what your DNS publishes. Support can see Cloudflare’s own diagnostics for the domain.

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Troubleshoot custom domains

Check what your DNS publishes

The domain stays in Verification

SSL validation problems

Verification timed out

The domain stays in Pointing

The domain is Active but shows another site

Too many redirects

The browser shows a certificate warning

You cannot add the domain

You cannot rename the Sevalla domain

Still stuck

​Check what your DNS publishes

​The domain stays in Verification

​SSL validation problems

​Verification timed out

​The domain stays in Pointing

​The domain is Active but shows another site

​Too many redirects

​The browser shows a certificate warning

​You cannot add the domain

​You cannot rename the Sevalla domain

​Still stuck

Check what your DNS publishes

The domain stays in Verification

SSL validation problems

Verification timed out

The domain stays in Pointing

The domain is Active but shows another site

Too many redirects

The browser shows a certificate warning

You cannot add the domain

You cannot rename the Sevalla domain

Still stuck