Custom domain guide
How to connect a IONOS domain to Render
The exact records to add at IONOS, written the way its form asks for them, for both www and the bare domain.
Checked 16 October 2026
In short
The records you'll add
- Type
- A
- Host name
- leave empty
- Points to
- Type
- CNAME
- Host name
- Points to
Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard.
| Type | Host name | Points to |
|---|---|---|
| A | leave empty | |
| CNAME | Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard. |
Step by step
Set it up
- 1
Add the domain in Render first
In Render, go to Service→Settings→Custom Domains→Add Custom Domain and enter your domain (for example www.example.com). Adding the bare domain also adds www and redirects it to the bare domain.
Each workspace includes custom domains (2 on Hobby, more on paid plans).
- 2
Open the DNS records at IONOS
Sign in, then go to Menu→Domains & SSL→⋯ next to your domain→DNS
The domain has to use IONOS nameservers.
- 3
Clear what's in the way
The bare domain usually has an A record pointing at the IONOS parking page. Edit or delete it: only one A record can be active for the main domain.
- 4
Add the record for www
Click Add record and add:
- Type
- CNAME
- Host name
- Points to
Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard.
Type Host name Points to CNAME Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard.
- 5
Point the bare domain
IONOS has no ALIAS record type, so the bare domain uses Render's address as A records.
- Type
- A
- Host name
- leave empty
- Points to
Type Host name Points to A leave empty - 6
Wait, then check
Changes at IONOS take effect within an hour, sometimes up to 24 hours. Once Render sees the records, it issues the certificate for https by itself. Use the check below to see what the world sees.
Check your domain
Once the records are in, see whether the world can see them pointing at Render.
Changes can take from a few minutes to a day to show up everywhere.
Good to know
Common snags
- Remove any AAAA records for the domain while you set it up: Render uses IPv4 only.
- Leave Host name empty for the bare domain.
- Before adding a CNAME for www, the www subdomain may need creating under Manage subdomains.
- Don't add http://, a trailing slash or a trailing dot to the value.
Still not working?
Questions
Before you start
Should I use www or the bare domain with Render?
Adding the bare domain also adds www and redirects it to the bare domain. www always works with a single CNAME; the bare domain depends on what IONOS offers, covered in step 5.
Why does my site show a certificate error?
The certificate is issued once Render sees your records, which can take a while after DNS changes. If it stays, check for old records on the same name (parking pages, AAAA records) and, at Cloudflare, that the record is set to DNS only.
Will this affect my email?
No. Email uses MX records, which these steps don't touch. Only change the records for @ and www.
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