Use Your Own Subdomain
Serve your Grovs links from a branded subdomain you control, like links.acme.com, with SSL included.
By default, Grovs serves your links from a *.sqd.link host. With a custom subdomain, your links resolve on a branded hostname you own, for example https://links.acme.com/summer-sale. SSL is included and Grovs provisions the certificate for you.
Using your own subdomain requires an active paid subscription. If you start this flow without an eligible plan, the dashboard prompts you to upgrade. Open Settings → Billing to subscribe. See Custom Domains for details.
Before you start
- An active paid plan.
- A subdomain you control (such as
links.acme.com) and access to its DNS settings. - A few minutes at your DNS provider to add the records Grovs shows you. Certificate issuance is automatic and usually completes within a few minutes.
Submit the subdomain in Grovs before changing DNS. Grovs provisions SSL first; traffic only moves once DNS points the host at Grovs. This keeps your existing links working throughout setup.
Set up your subdomain
Open the Domain settings
In the dashboard, go to Link Behaviour → Domain and click Use your own subdomain.
Enter your subdomain
Type the hostname you want to use, for example links.acme.com. Grovs previews the full URL your links will use (https://links.acme.com).
Enter a subdomain you control, ASCII characters only. You can configure one custom subdomain per project.
Complete the DNS checklist
Grovs walks you through a three-part DNS checklist. Add each record at your DNS provider as it appears. Names vary by provider. Your DNS UI may call the Host field "Name" or "Subdomain", and the Value field "Target" or "Points to".
1. Hostname ownership verified
If shown, add the ownership TXT record (Host + Value are copyable in the dialog).
If this hostname's DNS is already on Cloudflare, the ownership TXT can't pre-verify it. Ownership completes once the CNAME below is in place.
2. SSL certificate issued
Add the SSL validation TXT record(s) Grovs shows. If an _acme-challenge record already exists, replace its value or add another record with the same name. Grovs displays progress automatically:
- Preparing SSL validation TXT: the record will appear once Grovs creates it.
- SSL validated, certificate deploying: nothing to add right now; this usually takes a couple of minutes.
3. CNAME pointing to Grovs
Once SSL is active, add the CNAME record (Host + Value are copyable). This is the record that actually moves traffic to Grovs. Until it resolves, Grovs shows Waiting for DNS to point at Grovs.
On Cloudflare DNS, set the CNAME to "DNS only" (gray cloud). If your domain's DNS is managed by Cloudflare, the CNAME pointing to Grovs must be DNS only (the gray cloud), not the orange Proxied cloud. A proxied (orange) record prevents the certificate from issuing and stops your links from resolving.
Wait for activation
Grovs refreshes status automatically as your DNS propagates. When everything is in place, the domain shows as Active and your new links resolve on your subdomain.
Update your mobile apps
For iOS and Android deep links to open in your app on the new host, add the subdomain to your app configuration:
Add the subdomain to your Associated Domains entitlement (applinks:links.acme.com) and ship an updated build. The dashboard links to Developers → iOS setup for the exact steps.
Status reference
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending / Verifying | DNS and SSL are still being validated. Click View setup to see what's outstanding. |
| Active | The subdomain is live and serving your links. |
| Verification failed | Setup could not complete. Click Fix to review the records and try again. |
| Suspended | The subdomain is being removed and will disappear shortly. |
Removing a subdomain
Open Link Behaviour → Domain, choose Manage, then Remove. You'll be asked to confirm:
Your links will stop resolving on this subdomain immediately and will fall back to your grovs subdomain. You can add it again later.
After removal, links automatically resolve again on your *.sqd.link host.
Removing the subdomain takes effect immediately. Any links shared with the branded host keep working only because they fall back to your *.sqd.link subdomain, so don't reuse the branded host elsewhere until you're sure you no longer need it.