Custom domains

Table of Contents

By default, your application will be accessible via a subdomain of app.cloud.gov. To make your application accessible via your own domain, you need to create entries in your DNS system and configure cloud.gov.

How to set up a custom domain

To make your app accessible via your custom domain name, use the external domain service. Those pages provide instructions for the DNS entries you need to create in your DNS system.

See IPv6, HTTPS, and DNSSEC for guidance on complying with relevant federal standards and recommendations.

Comparison of default domains and custom domains

Here’s an example of the difference between a default *.app.cloud.gov domain and a custom domain. In this example, an agency’s application App A is using a default domain, and their application App B is using a custom domain.

How domains and routes work in cloud.gov

A “route” is a domain with an optional subdomain and path that maps client requests to a particular application, such as:

• myapp.app.cloud.gov
• myapp.app.cloud.gov/test
• app.example.gov
• example.gov

Cloud Foundry’s Routes and Domains documentation explains the overall model and terminology that cloud.gov uses.

Find the org, space, and app for a route

If you know a route is mapped to an application on cloud.gov, but you’re not sure which application it is, you can install and use cf-route-lookup. This is a CF CLI plugin.

You need to log into the CF CLI to use this tool, and it will only show you information from orgs and spaces that you have permission to view.

> cf lookup-route example.gov
Bound to:
example-org/example-space/example-app

If you look up a route mapped to an application in an org or space that you can’t access, you’ll see Error retrieving apps: Route not found.

If you look up a route that isn’t mapped to any application on cloud.gov, you’ll see Error retrieving apps: Could not find matching domain.