A glowing custom domain badge on the left, linked by flowing dotted connection lines and subtle DNS network nodes to a simple static website browser window or minimalist webpage layout on the right. The background features a soft globe or abstract network mesh in muted tech colors.
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How to Set Up a Custom Domain for Your Static Author Website

Using Netlify Drop and GitHub Pages with Netlify DNS, Cloudflare, or Porkbun

In Training #641, we showed you how to create a static author website using Claude Code with zero technical knowledge required. There is one technical step that you will want to take, however, and I am going to walk you through it.

Giving your static website a custom domain (like yourname.com) is the final polish that makes a project feel professional.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process using two of the simplest hosting platforms (Netlify Drop and GitHub Pages) and show you how to connect your domain using three popular DNS providers: Netlify DNS, Cloudflare, and Porkbun.

Each step includes direct links to the official how‑to pages so you can dive deeper if needed, and if you are using a different platform the directions here should be enough to find how to accomplish the same thing using another service.

1. Deploying a Site with Netlify Drop

If you haven’t already deployed your static site, Netlify Drop makes it ridiculously easy:

  1. Go to app.netlify.com/drop.
  2. Drag and drop your site’s folder (the one containing index.html) onto the page.
  3. Netlify instantly deploys your site and gives you a temporary address like https://incomparable-douhua-240876.netlify.app.

Now let’s turn that into www.yourdomain.com.

Adding a Custom Domain for a Netlify Drop site

In your Netlify project dashboard:

  • Go to Site settings > Domain management.
  • Click Add custom domain and enter your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com or www.yourdomain.com).
  • Netlify will verify the domain and provide instructions for configuring your DNS.

Setting up DNS to point your domain to Netlify

Now choose how you’d like to manage your domain’s DNS, which is how web browsers know where to send a visitor to a specific website. It connects your domain name to the server where the website lives.

Option A: Use Netlify DNS (Netlify as Your DNS Provider)

Netlify offers fully‑managed DNS that auto‑provisions SSL certificates and handles everything for you.

Steps:

  1. In the Netlify domain settings, for your newly added domain choose Netlify DNS.
  2. Netlify displays its nameservers (e.g., dns1.p01.nsone.net, dns2.p01.nsone.net, etc.).
  3. Go to your domain registrar (where you bought the domain) and replace the existing nameservers with the ones Netlify provided. (If you register the domain directly through Netlify, you can skip this step.)
  4. Netlify automatically creates the necessary DNS records, and after propagation your site is live at the custom domain.

Summary: Point your domain’s nameservers to Netlify, and Netlify handles all DNS records and SSL for you.

🔗 Official guides:

Option B: Use Cloudflare DNS

If you prefer managing DNS through Cloudflare (for its performance and security features), follow these steps.

Prerequisite: Add your domain to Cloudflare and update your nameservers at your registrar to the ones Cloudflare provides. (If you register your domain through Cloudflare, they will handle that step for you.)

Steps:

  1. In the Cloudflare dashboard, navigate to DNS for your domain.
  2. For the www subdomain: Add a CNAME record:
    • Name: www
    • Target: yoursite.netlify.app (your Netlify subdomain)
    • Proxy status: You can leave the orange cloud on, but ensure SSL is properly configured (see below).
  3. For the apex (root) domain: Add a CNAME record (Cloudflare supports CNAME flattening):
    • Name: @ (or your domain)
    • Target: yoursite.netlify.app
    • Proxy status: Orange cloud on.
  4. Go to SSL/TLS in Cloudflare and set the encryption mode to Full or Full (strict) (otherwise you may get redirect loops).

After DNS propagates, Netlify will automatically issue an SSL certificate for your domain.

Summary: Create CNAME records for both www and the root domain pointing to your Netlify subdomain, and set Cloudflare’s SSL to “Full”.

🔗 Official guides:

Option C: Use Porkbun DNS

Porkbun is a domain registrar with a clean DNS management interface. You’ll configure the records directly inside Porkbun.

Steps:

  1. Log into Porkbun, click your domain, and go to the DNS tab.
  2. For the root domain: Add an ALIAS record (Porkbun’s equivalent of an ANAME/flattened CNAME):
    • Host: @ (leave it as the root)
    • Points to: yoursite.netlify.app (your Netlify subdomain)
  3. For the www subdomain: Add a CNAME record:
    • Host: www
    • Points to: yoursite.netlify.app
  4. Save the changes. Netlify will detect the DNS records and provision HTTPS automatically.

Summary: Set an ALIAS record for the apex and a CNAME for www, both targeting your Netlify subdomain.

🔗 Official guides:

2. GitHub Pages: A Separate Example

If your static site lives on GitHub Pages, the process is similarly straightforward. First, enable GitHub Pages in your repository’s Settings > Pages, choose a branch, and note your default URL (e.g., https://username.github.io/repository).

Add the custom domain in GitHub

  • Under Settings > Pages, enter your custom domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com or yourdomain.com) and click Save.
  • Check Enforce HTTPS (it will become available once DNS is properly set).

Setting up DNS to point your domain to GitHub

Similarly with Netlify, the next step is to configure your DNS using one of the three providers.

Option A: Netlify DNS

(Yes, you can use Netlify’s DNS for non‑Netlify sites!)

If you already use Netlify for DNS management or want a simple interface, you can point your domain to GitHub Pages.

Steps:

  1. Add your domain to Netlify as a “DNS zone” (go to your Netlify team dashboard, Domains, then Add or register domain).
  2. Change your domain’s nameservers at the registrar to Netlify’s nameservers (see the Netlify DNS documentation).
  3. Inside Netlify’s DNS settings for the domain, create the following records:
    • Apex domain: Add four A records with the following GitHub Pages IPs:
      • 185.199.108.153
      • 185.199.109.153
      • 185.199.110.153
      • 185.199.111.153
    • www subdomain: Add a CNAME record:
      • Name: www
      • Value: username.github.io (replace with your actual GitHub Pages domain)
  4. Wait for DNS propagation, then return to GitHub Pages and enable Enforce HTTPS.

Summary: Use Netlify’s DNS panel to create the required A records for the apex and a CNAME for www.

🔗 Official guides:

Option B: Cloudflare DNS

Cloudflare’s DNS management works beautifully with GitHub Pages.

Prerequisite: Add your domain to Cloudflare and update nameservers at your registrar.

Steps:

  1. In Cloudflare’s DNS settings:
    • Root domain: Add a CNAME record (Cloudflare flattens it automatically):
      • Name: @
      • Target: username.github.io
      • Proxy: Turned on (orange cloud is fine).
    • www subdomain: Add a CNAME record:
      • Name: www
      • Target: username.github.io
  2. Under SSL/TLS, set the encryption mode to Full.
  3. Once DNS resolves, go back to your GitHub Pages settings and check Enforce HTTPS.

Summary: Use Cloudflare’s CNAME flattening to point both the apex and www to your GitHub Pages URL; remember to set SSL to “Full”.

🔗 Official guides:

Option C: Porkbun DNS

Porkbun’s ALIAS support makes apex records a one‑step affair.

Steps:

  1. In Porkbun’s DNS management:
    • Root domain: Add an ALIAS record:
      • Host: @
      • Points to: username.github.io
    • www subdomain: Add a CNAME record:
      • Host: www
      • Points to: username.github.io
  2. After DNS updates propagate, enable Enforce HTTPS in your GitHub Pages settings.

Summary: Set an ALIAS for the root and a CNAME for www, both pointing to your GitHub Pages default domain.

🔗 Official guides:

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re using Netlify Drop or GitHub Pages, the custom domain setup comes down to a few DNS records. Netlify’s own DNS is the most automated path if you are using the Netlify Drop app, Cloudflare adds a performance and security layer, and Porkbun keeps management all in one place at your registrar.

After a short wait for DNS propagation, you’ll have a clean, professional domain pointing to your static site, with free HTTPS included!

Now grab your domain, pick your provider, and make that site your own.

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