Connecting a Custom Domain

Run your storefront on your own domain, add the DNS records Babylon asks for, and follow verification through to a live certificate.

Every Babylon storefront starts on a platform hostname that Babylon provides, so buyers can reach you from day one. When you are ready, you can move your storefront onto a domain you own, such as auctions.example.com. This guide walks through Settings → Domain Settings: choosing between a platform hostname and a custom domain, adding the DNS records the page asks for, reading the verification and certificate status, and removing a domain again. It also covers the two extra things on the same page: custom email sender domains, and the Trade Portal record if your Trade Programme is switched on.

Before you start

You need the manage tenant domain permission. The standard Admin role has it. If Domain Settings does not appear under Settings in the sidebar, ask an administrator on your account to check your role (see Team members and roles).
Custom storefront domains are available on every plan. There is no separate feature to switch on.
You need access to the DNS settings for your domain, usually at your domain registrar or DNS provider. Changes are made there, not in Babylon.
Decide which hostname you want to use. A subdomain such as auctions.example.com is the simplest option. A bare domain such as example.com (the "zone apex") also works, but needs a record type that not every DNS provider offers; see "Apex domains" below.

What you can and cannot change here

Custom domains apply to storefront traffic only, meaning the public site your buyers and sellers use. The footnote at the bottom of the page says the same: the admin console, the API, bidding, media uploads and realtime updates stay on Babylon platform hosts.

Only one storefront hostname is live at a time. There is no separate "make primary" button: when a custom domain finishes setting up, it automatically becomes your live storefront hostname and replaces the platform hostname. If you remove it, the storefront falls back to a platform hostname.
The admin console at /admin is served on an admin hostname that Hammerd sets up for your account. If you open /admin on your storefront domain you are redirected to your admin hostname. Admin, API and other non-storefront hostnames cannot be requested from this page. If you want a branded admin hostname such as admin.example.com, contact Hammerd support.
You can have one domain change in progress at a time. While a request is pending you cannot request a second hostname until you finish or cancel the first.

The Storefront Hostname panel

The first panel, Storefront Hostname, shows what is live right now.

Active hostname is the hostname your storefront currently answers on, or Not configured yet.
The badge next to the heading shows the live domain's status, for example active or pending.
Last updated and Last checked show when the domain last changed and when Babylon last checked it.
Copy copies the active hostname. Refresh reloads the whole page's domain state.
If a request failed, a Last error block shows the hostname, an error code and a short explanation. This is the first place to look when something has gone wrong.

Using a platform hostname

Under Domain Mode, the Platform hostname card lets you run on a Babylon-provided hostname instead of your own domain.

Select the Platform hostname card.
Choose an option from Platform base. Each option is an approved Babylon hostname family; your storefront's subdomain stays the same.
Click Use platform hostname.

If a custom domain is currently live, Babylon asks you to confirm first. Switching to a platform hostname stops your custom domain serving the storefront straight away, releases its certificate, and means redoing DNS, verification and certificate issuance if you want it back. Click Switch to the platform hostname to go ahead, or Keep it as it is to cancel.

Adding a custom domain

Go to Settings → Domain Settings.
Under Domain Mode, select the Custom domain card.
In Hostname, type the full hostname you want to use, for example auctions.example.com. Do not include https:// or a path.
Click Request custom domain.
The page now shows a DNS Instructions block with the records to add. Keep this page open, or come back to it later: the instructions stay on screen until the request completes or is cancelled.

The hostname must be a fully qualified domain name that you control. Babylon rejects wildcards (*.example.com), IP addresses, hostnames on Babylon's own platform domains (use Platform hostname for those), and hostnames already claimed by another account.

Adding the DNS records

The DNS Instructions block lists two records. The exact names and values are unique to your request, so always copy them from the page rather than from this guide. Each record has its own Copy button, and Copy JSON copies both at once if you want to send them to whoever manages your DNS.

The records look like this, with the values from your screen in place of the placeholders:

Routing record
  Type:  CNAME (or ALIAS for an apex domain, as shown on screen)
  Name:  auctions.example.com
  Value: the target shown on the Domain Settings page

Verification record
  Type:  TXT
  Name:  the verification name shown on the page (it ends in your hostname)
  Value: the verification token shown on the page

The routing record points your hostname at Babylon. The page labels it with the record type to create.
The TXT (verification) record proves you control the domain. Babylon will not connect the domain until it can read this exact value.

Add both records at your DNS provider, then return to Domain Settings and click I've updated DNS. The status moves to verifying and you will see Verifying DNS records… while Babylon checks.

Apex domains

If you requested a bare domain such as example.com, the page shows the routing record type as ALIAS and explains that a zone apex cannot hold a CNAME record. Create an ALIAS record at the apex instead. Some providers call this ANAME or "CNAME flattening". A plain CNAME at the apex will never verify. If your DNS provider offers none of these, use a subdomain such as www.example.com or auctions.example.com instead.

Checking your records with Test DNS

Test DNS runs an immediate check of both records and shows a DNS Test Result panel:

All records found means both records resolve as expected.
Issues found lists what is wrong, for example that the routing record is missing or points at the wrong target, or that the TXT record is missing or has the wrong value.

DNS changes can take time to spread, depending on your provider and the record's TTL. If a test fails straight after you add the records, wait a few minutes and test again.

What each status means

After you click I've updated DNS, Babylon checks your records automatically and moves the request through several stages. You do not need to click anything during the automated stages; use Refresh status or Refresh to see the latest state.

awaiting_dns: Babylon is waiting for you to add the records and click I've updated DNS.
awaiting_verification: Babylon is checking your DNS records. It retries on a schedule, starting every few minutes and backing off to hourly.
verified: your DNS records checked out and Babylon is connecting your domain.
edge_configuring: Babylon is setting your domain up to serve your storefront. This typically takes 1 to 5 minutes.
cert_pending: an SSL/TLS certificate is being issued for your domain. The page shows Issuing SSL certificate…. This usually takes a few minutes.
active: your custom domain is live and serving your storefront over HTTPS. The previous hostname stops serving the storefront at this point.
degraded: the domain was active, but a later check found a problem. Check your DNS records have not been changed or removed, and contact Hammerd support if the status does not clear.
error: setup stopped. The page shows Domain setup failed with a Reason. See "When verification fails" below.

You never need to request or upload a certificate yourself. Babylon issues and renews it for the custom domain automatically.

When verification fails

If Babylon cannot find the correct records within about 24 hours of you clicking I've updated DNS, the request moves to error and verification stops. An errored request does not restart on its own, so:

Read the Reason shown under Domain setup failed. It tells you which record is wrong.
Fix the records at your DNS provider.
Click Test DNS until it reports All records found.
Click Remove and start over, confirm, and then request the same hostname again.

Requesting the hostname again issues a new verification token, so you must replace the TXT record with the new value before clicking I've updated DNS.

Cancelling a request or removing a domain

Several buttons remove a custom domain, depending on its stage: Cancel pending request, Cancel (while it is being set up), Remove (next to the DNS instructions) and Remove and start over (after an error). All of them ask you to confirm first.

Cancelling a pending request discards the request and its verification token. The TXT record you added becomes useless, and requesting the same hostname again issues a new token. Confirm with Cancel this request.
Removing a live domain stops your storefront answering on that hostname immediately. Saved bookmarks, printed QR codes, marketing links and search results that use the old address stop reaching your store, and the certificate is released. Your storefront falls back to a platform hostname. Confirm with Remove this domain.

Adding a domain back later is not an instant undo: you repeat the DNS, verification and certificate steps from the start. You can then delete the old records at your DNS provider.

Trade Portal record (Trade Programme only)

If the Trade Programme is enabled on your account, a Trade Portal Domain panel appears. Dealers use a Trade Portal at trade. followed by your storefront domain, for example trade.auctions.example.com.

Until your storefront is live on an active custom domain, the panel explains that the record will appear once you have one.
Once your custom domain is active, the panel shows one CNAME record with a Name (your trade. hostname) and a Value. Use Copy and add it at your DNS provider.

No TXT verification or separate certificate step is needed for the Trade Portal. Babylon issues a certificate for the trade. hostname automatically once the CNAME record has propagated, typically within a few minutes. See Trade Programme for the rest of the setup.

Email sender domains

The Email Sender Domains panel lets your automated emails come from your own domain instead of a Babylon-hosted sender. If you have no verified custom sender domain, Babylon's platform sender is used automatically.

Under Add Custom Email Domain, enter the domain to send from, for example mail.example.com or example.com.
Click Add email domain. An Email DNS Instructions block appears listing several CNAME records. Copy each one (or use Copy JSON) and add them all at your DNS provider.
Use Refresh status on the identity, or Refresh identities at the top of the panel, to check progress. The identity shows a status of pending, verified or failed, along with its DKIM status. If verification fails, the reason is shown on the identity.

Each identity shows a From: address, which defaults to noreply@ followed by the domain. Click edit to change the part before the @, then Save. A newly added domain is set as the default sender; Set default lets you choose a different verified domain. The default is only used once it is verified. For what those emails contain and when they are sent, see Notifications and messaging.

Where else your hostname appears

Settings → Business Settings → General → Domain Summary shows your Primary Hostname and its status as a read-only field, with an Open Domain Settings link.
Settings → Business Settings → Advanced → CORS Configuration automatically allows your primary hostname. See API keys, CORS and audit trail.
Your sitemap and robots file use your live hostname automatically. See SEO and discovery.

What is not self-service

Contact Hammerd support for any of the following:

A custom hostname for the admin console, the API or any other non-storefront service.
A request stuck in verified, edge_configuring or cert_pending for much longer than the times above, or a domain showing degraded.
A hostname you own that Babylon reports as already claimed.
Changing your storefront's platform subdomain.

Common questions

Can I keep the platform hostname working alongside my custom domain? No. One storefront hostname is live at a time. When the custom domain becomes active it replaces the platform hostname for the storefront.

Do I need to buy or upload an SSL certificate? No. Babylon issues and renews the certificate for you.

I clicked I've updated DNS too early. What now? Nothing is lost while the request is verifying: Babylon keeps checking for about 24 hours. Fix the records, use Test DNS to confirm, and wait. If it has already moved to error, follow "When verification fails".

The page shows an error banner at the top. The message comes from the request that just failed, for example an invalid hostname or a domain change already in progress. Correct the input or finish the pending request, then try again.