Connecting a custom domain to Portfolio means editing DNS records at the company you bought the domain from. This article explains what each record does and which ones Portfolio needs.
A record
An A record points a domain directly at an IP address. This is what Portfolio uses. Your site is assigned two IP addresses, shown in Settings > Domain while you are connecting a domain. They are not displayed once a domain is already connected, so note them during the connection flow.
You always create four A records, whether you are using a root domain or a subdomain:
- Two on the domain itself, one for each of your site's IP addresses
- Two on its
wwwversion, one for each IP address
The two IP addresses are specific to your site. Always copy them from your own domain settings rather than from an older article or another person's instructions.
CNAME record
A CNAME points one name at another name. Portfolio does not use CNAME records, including for subdomains. If you have a CNAME pointing at yourname.myportfolio.com, remove it and use A records instead.
TXT record
A TXT record stores text and is commonly used to prove you own a domain. Portfolio does not require a TXT record to connect a domain. Leave any TXT records from other services (such as email or site verification) in place.
CAA record
A CAA record controls which certificate authorities may issue an SSL certificate for your domain. Portfolio issues certificates through Let's Encrypt. If you have a CAA record that does not authorize Let's Encrypt, your domain will never finish connecting and you may see a message asking you to allow Let's Encrypt as a valid certificate authority.
Fix it by either adding a CAA entry that authorizes letsencrypt.org, or removing the CAA records entirely. If you have no CAA records at all, there is nothing to change.
Using a subdomain (for example portfolio.example.com)
Subdomains use A records too - not a CNAME. You need four A records in total:
- Two on the subdomain host, one for each of your site's IP addresses
- Two on the
wwwversion of that subdomain, one for each IP address
After you edit your records
DNS changes take time to spread across the internet - allow up to 48 hours, though it is usually much sooner. Once they have, return to Settings > Domain in Portfolio and click Apply. Portfolio does not detect the change on its own.