Custom Domains

Every FluxStore store comes with a free subdomain at yourstore.fluxstore.net. A custom domain lets your store live at an address you own, like store.example.com or shop.myserver.gg. This builds trust with buyers and makes your store feel like part of your brand rather than a third party platform.

How it works

FluxStore uses Cloudflare for SaaS  to handle custom domains. When you connect a domain, FluxStore registers it as a custom hostname with Cloudflare. All traffic to your domain is routed through Cloudflare’s network, which handles SSL termination and forwards requests to FluxStore’s servers. This means your store gets Cloudflare’s global CDN, DDoS protection, and automatic SSL without you having to configure any of it.

Subdomains only

Custom domains currently only work with subdomains like store.example.com or shop.myserver.gg. Apex domains (e.g. example.com without a subdomain) are not supported because most DNS providers don’t allow CNAME records on the root domain, which is required for Cloudflare for SaaS routing.

If your DNS provider supports CNAME records on the root domain (some offer this as “CNAME flattening” or “ALIAS records”), you can try pointing your apex domain to cf-custom.fluxstore.net and it may work. However, this is not something we actively support or test against, so your mileage may vary. We plan to add proper apex domain support in the future.

Choosing a verification method

Before Cloudflare can issue an SSL certificate, it has to confirm you control the domain. FluxStore offers two ways to do that, and the right one depends on whether your domain is already serving a live website.

Standard setup is simpler, but it can only prove ownership once your traffic is already routed through Cloudflare. If your domain currently serves a live website, that means moving the CNAME first and waiting with the site partly unavailable while the certificate is issued.

Zero-downtime setup avoids that. You add a record at _acme-challenge that lets Cloudflare prove ownership on its own, we issue the certificate while your site carries on running exactly where it is, and you move the traffic CNAME last. Because the certificate is already in place, the switch is instant.

That record is a CNAME rather than a TXT, and this matters: it delegates validation to Cloudflare permanently, so every future certificate renewal happens automatically. You add it once and never touch it again.

Occasionally FluxStore shows a TXT record at _acme-challenge instead of the delegation CNAME. That is a fallback for when the delegation target could not be resolved, and it works the same way for issuing your certificate. The difference is that its token is regenerated on every renewal, so it is not a record you can add once and forget. If you see a TXT here, remove the domain and add it again later to pick up the CNAME form.

You are never asked to add a pre-verification or ownership TXT record. Cloudflare proves domain ownership and issues the certificate through the two records above, and nothing else needs publishing.

You can change method at any time from the domain settings page, so a domain that gets stuck on one can be moved to the other without starting over.

Setting up a custom domain

1. Add the domain in FluxStore. Go to Dashboard > Domains, click Add Custom Domain, type your full domain (e.g. store.example.com), choose a verification method, and save.
2. Add the DNS records shown. FluxStore displays the exact records to create, with a copy button for each field. With standard setup that is a single CNAME to cf-custom.fluxstore.net. With zero-downtime setup you’ll get a certificate CNAME at _acme-challenge first, and the traffic CNAME to add afterwards.
3. Wait. FluxStore checks for your records automatically every couple of minutes and the page updates on its own, so there’s nothing to click. Most DNS providers publish changes within minutes.
4. With zero-downtime setup, add the traffic CNAME last. Once the status reads Certificate Ready, your certificate has been issued and you can point the CNAME whenever you like.

Domain Status

After adding your domain, it progresses through several states before becoming active.

Certificate Ready only appears with zero-downtime setup. It is the expected state during a migration: everything is prepared and waiting on you to move traffic across.

SSL Certificates

SSL certificates are automatically provisioned through Cloudflare, with no manual steps. Your store is served exclusively over HTTPS, and HTTP requests are automatically redirected.

Refreshing Domain Status

The domain settings page rechecks your domain automatically while setup is in progress, and FluxStore also rechecks in the background. If you want to force an immediate check, go to Dashboard > Domains and click Refresh Status.

If a domain has Failed, click Retry verification rather than Refresh Status. Once a verification attempt has timed out, Cloudflare won’t start a new one until it’s explicitly asked to, which is what the retry button does. FluxStore also retries failed domains on its own every 30 minutes, so a corrected DNS record will recover without you doing anything.

Retries are limited to one every five minutes. Each one asks the certificate authority to try again, and repeated attempts count against limits that would eventually lock the domain out, so there is nothing to gain from retrying faster. Fix the DNS record first, then retry once.

Limits on setting up the same domain

Certificate providers cap how often a certificate can be issued for the same domain, and that cap applies globally rather than per account, so nobody can raise it on your behalf. To keep you clear of it, FluxStore allows a domain to be set up three times in any seven day period, which leaves room for your certificate to renew normally.

Removing a domain is never limited. If you need to disconnect a domain, you can always do so immediately.

If you hit the limit, the dashboard tells you exactly when you can try again. Contact support  if you need help sooner.

Removing a Custom Domain

To disconnect a custom domain, go to Dashboard > Domains, click Remove Domain, and confirm. Your store will revert to the default yourstore.fluxstore.net subdomain. You should also delete the DNS records from your provider to avoid pointing to a disconnected endpoint.

Troubleshooting

DNS Propagation Delays

DNS changes are usually visible within a few minutes, but some providers can take considerably longer. If your domain shows as Pending shortly after setup, give it time. The page keeps checking on its own.

Stuck on Pending

Pending means we can’t see your DNS records yet. Check that the CNAME record exists, that its name matches your domain exactly, and that its target is cf-custom.fluxstore.net.

CNAME Conflicts

Make sure there are no other DNS records (like an A record) on the same hostname as your CNAME. Conflicting records will prevent the domain from connecting. If you see errors, check your DNS provider for duplicate entries on the same subdomain.

Standard setup won’t complete

Standard setup proves ownership by having the certificate authority fetch a token from your domain over plain HTTP. That can fail for several reasons:

• Your CNAME isn’t pointed at us yet. The token can’t be served until traffic reaches Cloudflare.
• An existing site is in the way. A live site that force-redirects to HTTPS, or blocks /.well-known/, will stop the check.
• The check runs from several places at once. Certificate authorities validate from multiple network locations around the world and require every one to succeed. If your origin is geo-restricted, behind a firewall that only allows certain regions, or sits behind DNS that resolves differently by location, validation fails even though the token loads perfectly from where you’re testing.

That last one is easy to misdiagnose, because fetching the URL yourself works.

Switch to zero-downtime setup from the domain settings page. It proves ownership through DNS instead, so it doesn’t depend on your origin being reachable over HTTP from anywhere in particular.

SSL Certificate Delays

SSL provisioning typically completes within a few minutes but can take longer in rare cases. If your domain is stuck on SSL Pending:

1. Verify the CNAME record is correctly pointing to cf-custom.fluxstore.net
2. Make sure there are no conflicting DNS records (e.g. an A record on the same hostname)
3. Check for a CAA record on your domain that would stop Cloudflare’s certificate authority from issuing
4. Try switching to zero-downtime setup
5. Contact support  if the issue persists

Certificate renewal needs attention

Certificates renew automatically. If a renewal fails, your store stays online on the current certificate and the domain settings page shows an amber warning rather than marking the domain as failed, because nothing is broken yet.

It does need fixing before the current certificate expires. Check that the _acme-challenge CNAME is still present at your DNS provider, then click Retry now. FluxStore also retries on its own in the background.

Reading the failure reason

When a domain fails, the exact message Cloudflare returned is shown alongside the status. Two common ones:

• “custom hostname does not CNAME to this zone” means the CNAME is missing or points somewhere else.
• A caa_error means a CAA record on your domain is blocking certificate issuance. Either remove it or add one that permits Let’s Encrypt and Google Trust Services.

Next Steps

• General Settings: configure your store name, slug, and currency
• Checkout: customize what information you collect from buyers