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Custom domain

Get in touch: Ahmad Mayahi, creator of Chatvia, Spectra and Shakomako

A custom domain puts an agent's Hosted Chat at an address of your own, such as https://help.yourshop.com, instead of https://chat.example.com/chat/support. Your customers see your name in the address bar, and the link is easy to remember.

For example, a bike shop runs Chatvia at chat.example.com. It gives its support agent the domain help.bikeshop.com and prints that address on its receipts. Customers who open it go straight to the chat.

Each agent can have one custom domain. A domain works for one agent only.

Needs a license key

Custom domains need a license key on your Chatvia install, and your administrator must turn them on first. Until then, the Custom domain section says so. See what needs a key.

Add a domain

  1. Open the agent and click Deploy in its sidebar.

  2. In the Hosted Chat card, type the domain under Custom domain, for example help.yourshop.com, and click Save.

  3. Chatvia shows a DNS record. Add it at the company where you bought the domain (your domain provider):

    Type Name Points to
    CNAME help.yourshop.com the address the Deploy page shows, such as chat.example.com

    The address is usually your Chatvia address. When your administrator set another one (see behind Cloudflare), the Deploy page shows that one. Copy it from there.

    Some providers want only the first part in Name, so help instead of help.yourshop.com.

  4. Wait. Chatvia checks the domain every few minutes. A new record can take up to an hour to work everywhere.

When the check reaches your Chatvia install, the status turns Active and the chat works at the new address. Click Check again to check right away instead of waiting.

Why it takes a few minutes

Every address on the web that starts with https:// needs a certificate: a small file that proves the server may use that name. Your browser checks it each time it opens a page. The certificate of your Chatvia address doesn't count for help.yourshop.com, so your domain needs a certificate of its own.

You don't need to get one. The first time Chatvia checks your domain, the Chatvia server gets a free certificate for it from Let's Encrypt, and renews it by itself. That happens only once your DNS record works, which is why the status waits until then.

Use a subdomain

Use a name like help.yourshop.com or chat.yourshop.com. Most providers don't allow a CNAME record on the bare domain (yourshop.com), because the website and email use it.

What the status means

Status What it means
Waiting for DNS The domain is saved and the first check hasn't found it yet. Add the record, then wait.
Active The chat works at the domain.
Not working yet A check didn't reach your install. The message under the domain says why.

The messages you can see under Not working yet:

  • "We cannot reach your domain yet." The record is missing, has a typo, or is still on its way. Check the record, then wait a few minutes.
  • "Your domain answers, but not from this server." The domain points to another server, often your website's. Change the record so it points to your Chatvia address.
  • "Your domain points here, but this server has no certificate for it yet." The record is right, but your Chatvia server can't serve HTTPS for the domain yet. Ask your administrator: see Custom domains.
  • "Your domain points to a private network address." The record points to an address inside a private network, which Chatvia never calls. Point it to your Chatvia address.

New domains are checked by themselves for two days. After that, click Check again once you fixed the record.

What changes

When the domain is Active:

  • The Agent URL on the Deploy page is your domain. Share that link.
  • The chat itself opens at https://help.yourshop.com/chat/.... The address bar shows your domain the whole time.
  • The Full-page embed code and the password reset links in chatter emails use your domain.
  • Sign-in links and invitations by email open your Chatvia address first, and then take people to the chat on your domain.
  • The API returns your domain in the agent's url, permanent_url, chat_url and chat_embed_url. See Agents API.
  • The old address, https://chat.example.com/chat/..., keeps working. Links you already shared don't break.

Your domain shows only this agent's chat. The dashboard, the admin panel and your other agents are not reachable on it.

Remove a domain

Click Remove next to the domain. The chat goes back to your Chatvia address at once. You can then delete the DNS record at your domain provider.

To move the chat to another domain, type the new one and click Save. The new domain is checked from the start, like a new one.

If something changes later

  • The record is removed or changed. Chatvia checks active domains once a day. After three failed checks in a row, the domain stops working and shows Not working yet. Fix the record and click Check again.
  • The license key ends, or your administrator turns custom domains off. The domain stops working at once, and the chat's links go back to your Chatvia address. The domain stays saved, and it works again when the key or the setting comes back.

Using Cloudflare

If your domain's DNS is at Cloudflare, set the record to DNS only (the grey cloud), not Proxied. A proxied record puts Cloudflare between your visitors and your Chatvia server, and the domain may not work.

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