One-Click DNS Setup: Connect Your Domain to Elestio via Cloudflare in Seconds
Look, I'm going to be real with you: configuring DNS records is nobody's idea of a good time. You deploy a service, you're excited to use it, and then you spend 20 minutes squinting at your registrar's control panel trying to figure out which A record goes where, whether you need a CNAME or an ALIAS, and why propagation is taking forever.
We just made that entire process disappear — at least if you're using Cloudflare.
What's New: One-Click DNS Setup via Domain Connect
Elestio now supports Domain Connect, an open standard that lets us automatically configure your DNS records through Cloudflare. No manual record entry. No copy-pasting IP addresses. No waiting and hoping you didn't typo something.
Here's the entire process:
- Go to your service's custom domain settings on Elestio
- Enter your domain (e.g.,
example.com) - Click Connect Domain
- You're redirected to your Cloudflare dashboard to approve the DNS changes
- Done
That's it. Elestio sends the required DNS configuration to Cloudflare as a service template, Cloudflare verifies you own the domain, and the records are applied automatically. SSL is handled by Let's Encrypt on our side — your site is live with HTTPS within minutes.
How It Actually Works
Under the hood, this uses the Domain Connect protocol — an open standard (MIT license) maintained by a community of developers across multiple companies and currently going through IETF standardization.
The flow is straightforward:
- When you enter your domain, Elestio queries the
_domainconnectDNS record to identify your DNS provider - If Cloudflare is detected, the one-click option appears
- When you click Connect, Elestio sends a service template to Cloudflare with the exact DNS records your service needs (A records, CNAMEs, etc.)
- Cloudflare presents a consent screen — you approve, and the records are configured instantly
- Elestio provisions your SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt
No room for human error. No propagation guesswork.
Who Is This For?
If your domain uses Cloudflare as its nameserver or registrar, this feature is available to you right now on any Elestio service.
This is especially useful if you're:
- Deploying multiple services and tired of manually configuring DNS for each one
- Not a DNS expert and want to avoid misconfiguration
- Managing domains for clients and need a repeatable, error-free setup process
- Running a team where not everyone has deep infrastructure knowledge
What If I Don't Use Cloudflare?
The manual DNS setup option is still available and works exactly as before. You'll see both options side by side in the custom domain configuration area:
- One-Click DNS Setup — for Cloudflare users (automatic)
- Manual DNS Setup — for all other DNS providers (A records + CNAME)
For manual setup, you configure the A record pointing to your Elestio service IP and a CNAME for the www subdomain, then wait for DNS propagation. SSL is still automatic via Let's Encrypt regardless of which method you use.
Full documentation: Custom Domain and Automated Encryption (SSL/TLS)
Why This Matters
DNS misconfiguration is one of the most common support tickets across every hosting platform — not just ours. It's the step where deployments stall, where small businesses get stuck, and where developers waste time on something that has nothing to do with the product they're building.
By adopting the Domain Connect standard, we're removing that friction entirely for Cloudflare users. And since Cloudflare manages DNS for a significant portion of the internet, this covers a lot of ground.
We're looking at expanding Domain Connect support to additional DNS providers in the future. If your provider supports the protocol, it could be next.
Try It Now
Next time you deploy a service on Elestio, head to the custom domain settings and look for the One-Click DNS Setup section. If your domain is on Cloudflare, you're one click away from a fully configured, SSL-secured custom domain.
No more A records. No more propagation delays. Just click and go.
Thanks for reading ❤️ See you in the next one 👋