Custom Domain Setup Fails

Does the setup fail when you configure a custom domain? Learn about possible problems causing the failure and how to troubleshoot them.

Validating the DNS entries

If the Custom domain validation or Certificate validation fail during the process of configuring a custom domain you should first validate that the DNS entries for the connection are set up correctly.

You can use an online DNS query tool, e.g. the Google Admin Toolbox - Dig.

DNS uses cacheing as indicated by the TTL (time to live) values seen below. If you need to change the value of a DNS entry it can take up to the TTL until you or the Scroll Viewport app can see the changes that you applied to your DNS provider.

For the Custom domain validation CNAME the output of the tool for https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/dig/#CNAME/<your-custom-domain-url> should look like this

CNAME	TTL: 1 hour
	TARGET: <value-rom-the-custom-domain-validation>

If it looks different or isn’t found at all, please go back to your DNS provider and make sure that the entries have been inserted correctly, e.g. if your DNS provider user interface already inserts your domain name, do not paste it again.

Example

This example is for this help site help-cloud.k15t.com, do not copy the example values to your configuration as that would not work for your custom domain.

The CNAME will point to a random name underneath sites.scroll-viewport.addons.k15t.com.

For the Certificate validation CNAME the output of the tool for https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/dig/#CNAME/ <name-from-the-certificate-validation> should look like this

CNAME	TTL: 1 hour
	TARGET: <value-rom-the-certificate-validation>

Example

This example is for this help site help-cloud.k15t.com, do not copy the example values to your configuration as that would not work for your custom domain.

The CNAME will point to a random name underneath acm-validations.aws.

If it looks different or isn’t found at all, please go back to your DNS provider and check as described above.

Common roadblocks

Problem	Solution
You are already using your custom domain in a CloudFront distribution that was previously set up.	Remove the Alternate Domain Names (CNAME) from the other CloudFront distribution or delete the other CloudFront distribution completely. Both options can be accessed from your AWS console. Please expect some downtime when transferring your custom domain to the Viewport site.
You are using Cloudflare with the “proxied” setting.	Switch the setting of your CNAMEs for Scroll Viewport from “proxied” to “DNS only”.
You took too long to add the CNAME records to your DNS configuration.	After 72 hours the process will fail automatically if the CNAME couldn’t be found. When starting the process again, make sure to complete this step within 72 hours.
You entered the provided values without an underscore (_) in your DNS configuration (e.g because your DNS tool does not allow for underscores).	We require the underscore to validate the CNAME records on our end with the AWS Certificate Manager. Underscores are allowed values for DNS entires and most DNS configurations will handle these. If you’re using a tool or domain provider that doesn’t allow for underscores, we recommend reaching out to your provider. Let them know that the entry with the underscore is required to generate a certificate with the AWS Certificate Manager.
You use AWS’s Route 53 and the certificate validation is stuck in `pending`	Your first certificate validation value ends with the value of your custom domain. Some providers already add that value by default, resulting in a duplication of the value in that string. Please remove your custom domain value from the string and enter this shortened version into the CNAME field.
Your certificate validation is stuck in `pending` or fails because of Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) problems.	Your custom domain or one of the higher-level domains of your organisation is configured to only allow certain authorities to create certificates via a DNS CAA record. To solve the problem you will need to specify in your CAA records that the AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is allowed to issue a certificate for your domain or subdomain. Please configure the CAA record to specify `amazon.com` and set the tag field to `issue`. Note that CAA records for the domain also affect sub-domains.
You are using GoDaddy and your certificate validation is stuck in `pending`.	When creating CNAME records make sure to only enter the first part of your custom domain URL, leaving out the root domain name. Example: You custom domain for Viewport is `help.example.com`. In your GoDaddy configuration, only enter `help` in the prefix/host field.
You are using Network Solutions and your certificate validation is stuck in `pending`.	When pasting the values from Viewport into Network Solutions, make sure to remove any `.` (dots) at the end of the copied values.
The validation fails with a ‘Setup failed’ message.	Click ‘Cancel setup’ to restart the custom domain setup process. This time, at the ‘configuration’ step, doublecheck the provided values against the two CNAME records you created. Sometimes, there are small typos or your DNS tool might automatically add the domain name to the entries resulting in duplication of some values.
You are using Namecheap as your DNS tool and the custom domain setup doesn’t succeed	When creating CNAME records in Namecheap make sure to only enter the first part of your custom domain URL, leaving out the root domain name. Example: You custom domain for Viewport is `help.example.com`. In your Namecheap configuration, remove `example.com.`from the end of the first custom domain validation value and the first certificate validation value.