Vercel is the ultimate hosting platform for Next.js, React, and modern static web applications. While Vercel provides a free .vercel.app subdomain for testing, connecting a custom professional domain (like `GetHostWise.online`) is essential for global branding and search engine rankings. In this step-by-step tutorial, we show you how to configure your DNS records perfectly.
Step 1: Add Your Domain in Vercel Settings
Before modifying any DNS records at your domain registrar, you must add the domain in your Vercel project:
- Log into your Vercel Dashboard and open your project.
- Navigate to Settings > Domains.
- Type your domain name in the input box (e.g.
gethostwise.online) and click Add. - Vercel will prompt you to select how you want to configure redirects. Select the option to redirect the raw domain to the
wwwversion (or vice-versa) for optimal SEO structure.
Step 2: Configure DNS Records at Your Registrar
Once the domain is added, Vercel will display the required DNS configuration. Open your domain registrar (like Namecheap or GoDaddy) and configure these records:
A Record (For the Root Domain)
To point the root domain (without www) to Vercel, set this record:
- Type: A
- Name: @
- Value:
76.76.21.21(Vercel's global IP address) - TTL: Automatic or 600
CNAME Record (For the WWW Subdomain)
To point your www subdomain to Vercel, configure this record:
- Type: CNAME
- Name: www
- Value:
cname.vercel-dns.com. - TTL: Automatic
Step 3: Resolve SSL Validation & Cloudflare Proxy Loops
If you use Cloudflare DNS with the Orange Cloud icon (proxy) activated, you might experience a redirect loop or SSL validation failure. To fix this:
- Log into Cloudflare and open the SSL/TLS settings for your domain.
- Change the encryption mode from 'Flexible' to **Full (Strict)**. This ensures that the connection between Cloudflare and Vercel is completely encrypted and prevents Vercel from trying to loop redirect HTTP requests.
