How I Point DigitalOcean App Platform Apps to My Own Subdomains

I keep forgetting this, so here’s the short, clear version for future me.

I often have a bunch of small apps running on DigitalOcean App Platform. By default, they get those long URLs like:

tigerden-app-u1ju3.ondigitalocean.app

They work, but they’re ugly and not something I want to share. What I actually want is something like:

type.curiousmints.com

Here’s how I do that properly — without weird redirects, broken HTTPS, or guessing.

---

The one mental model that matters

There are two separate systems, and both need to be configured:

1. DNS (Porkbun, in my case)
   → tells the internet where to send traffic
2. DigitalOcean App Platform
   → tells the app which domains it’s allowed to respond to

You must do both. Doing only one leads to half-working setups and confusing bugs.

---

Step 1: Add a CNAME in my DNS provider (Porkbun)

This answers the question:

“When someone visits type.curiousmints.com, where should that go?”

In Porkbun, I add a CNAME record:

• Type: CNAME
• Host: type
• TTL: default is fine

Value:

tigerden-app-u1ju3.ondigitalocean.app

Important reminders:

• No https://
• No trailing slash
• Just the hostname

At this point, traffic can reach DigitalOcean — but the app still won’t fully accept it yet.

---

Step 2: Add the domain inside DigitalOcean App Platform

This is the step I forget most often.

In DigitalOcean → App Platform:

1. Open the app
2. Go to Settings → Domains
3. Click Add domain
4. Choose “You manage your domain”
5. Save

Enter:

type.curiousmints.com

DigitalOcean will show the same CNAME target again. That’s good — it means both sides agree.

Now DigitalOcean knows:

• this app is allowed to serve that domain
• it should issue an SSL certificate for it

---

Step 3: Wait for “Pending” → “Active”

After adding the domain, the status will say Pending.

This usually takes:

• 1–5 minutes
• occasionally up to ~15 minutes

When it flips to Active, HTTPS is ready.

---

Step 4: Check it worked

I open:

https://type.curiousmints.com

What I expect:

• The app loads
• The URL stays on my domain
• HTTPS works
• No redirect to http://
• No .ondigitalocean.app showing anywhere

If all of that is true, I’m done.

---

Common mistake (worth calling out)

If I see:

• a blank page
• or it redirects to http://type.curiousmints.com

That almost always means:

• I forgot to add the domain in App Platform, or
• the domain is still Pending

It’s rarely a DNS problem if the page is loading at all.

---

The repeatable checklist (TL;DR)

Every time I do this for a new app:

1. Add CNAME in Porkbun
2. Add domain in DigitalOcean App Platform
3. Wait for Active
4. Test HTTPS

That’s it.

Future me: don’t overthink this.