​
General Questions

A custom domain allows you to host your Watchman Tower status page on your own domain (e.g., status.mycompany.com) instead of the default status.watchmantower.com/your-workspace-slug.This provides brand consistency and professional appearance for your public status communications.
Custom domains are available on:
  • Team Plan - 1 custom domain included
  • Stack Plan - Up to 5 custom domains included
Custom domains are not available on Free or Solo plans.
Custom domains are included in your Team or Stack plan subscription at no additional cost.You don’t need to pay extra for:
  • SSL certificates
  • CDN bandwidth
  • Domain hosting
  • Certificate renewals
You only need to own the domain itself (purchased from your preferred registrar).
Each status page can have one active custom domain at a time.However, Stack plan allows up to 5 different status pages (one per workspace), each with its own custom domain.You cannot point multiple domains to the same status page simultaneously.
Yes! To change your custom domain:
  1. Delete the current domain in Settings → Status Page → Custom Domain
  2. Add your new domain
  3. Configure DNS for the new domain
  4. Wait for SSL validation
Note: The old domain will stop working immediately upon deletion. Plan the transition carefully if your status page is actively shared.

​
Technical Questions

No. Custom domains must be subdomains (e.g., status.mycompany.com).Why: The setup requires a CNAME record, which cannot be created for root domains according to DNS specifications. CNAME records at the root would conflict with other essential records like MX (email) and NS (nameservers).Recommended subdomains:
  • status.mycompany.com
  • uptime.mycompany.com
  • health.mycompany.com
No. SSL certificates are automatically provisioned and managed by Cloudflare at no cost to you.The certificate:
  • Is issued within 1-5 minutes of setup
  • Renews automatically before expiration
  • Uses industry-standard encryption (TLS 1.2+)
  • Is trusted by all major browsers
You never have to manually manage SSL certificates.
Typical timeline:
  • Add domain: Instant
  • DNS propagation: 5-10 minutes
  • SSL validation: 1-5 minutes
  • Total: 10-15 minutes on average
Factors that can extend this:
  • High DNS TTL: Up to 24 hours (rare)
  • DNS provider delays: 15-30 minutes
  • Cloudflare service load: Occasional delays
Most setups complete within 15 minutes.
You need to create a CNAME record with these values:
Type: CNAME
Name: status (or your chosen subdomain)
Target: status.watchmantower.com
TTL: 3600 (or Auto)
Do not use:
  • A records
  • AAAA records
  • TXT records
  • URL redirects
Only CNAME records work with custom domains.
No. If you use Cloudflare as your DNS provider, you must set the CNAME record to DNS only (gray cloud icon).Why: Cloudflare’s proxy mode conflicts with Cloudflare for SaaS custom hostname SSL certificates. The orange cloud will prevent your domain from working.Correct setting: Gray cloud (DNS only)
Your original URL remains active:
https://status.watchmantower.com/your-workspace-slug
Both the custom domain and default URL work simultaneously. You can share either one, though we recommend using your custom domain for branding.
No. Your custom domain only affects how users access your status page. It does not impact:
  • Monitor checks
  • Data collection
  • Alert delivery
  • Uptime calculations
  • API access
All monitoring continues normally regardless of custom domain setup.

​
DNS & Configuration

All major DNS providers are supported, including:
  • Cloudflare
  • Amazon Route 53
  • Google Cloud DNS
  • Namecheap
  • GoDaddy
  • DNSimple
  • Hover
  • Name.com
  • And any provider that supports CNAME records
If your DNS provider allows you to create CNAME records, it will work with Watchman Tower.
Run this command in your terminal:
dig CNAME status.mycompany.com
Expected output:
status.mycompany.com. 3600 IN CNAME status.watchmantower.com.
If you see this, DNS is configured correctly.Alternative (Windows):
nslookup status.mycompany.com
Recommended: 3600 seconds (1 hour) or Auto/DefaultWhy:
  • Low enough for reasonable change propagation
  • High enough to reduce DNS query load
  • Standard for most services
During initial setup: You can temporarily set TTL to 300 (5 minutes) for faster propagation, then increase it to 3600 once confirmed working.Avoid: TTL above 86400 (24 hours) makes troubleshooting slow.
No. Wildcard domains are not supported.Each custom domain must be explicitly configured. You cannot use:
  • *.mycompany.com
  • status.*.mycompany.com
You must specify the exact subdomain: status.mycompany.com
You’ll need to either:Option 1: Choose a different subdomain
  • uptime.mycompany.com
  • health.mycompany.com
  • statuspage.mycompany.com
Option 2: Move your existing service to a different subdomainOption 3: Use your existing service’s capabilities (if it’s just a redirect, you might not need it anymore)A subdomain can only point to one destination at a time.

​
SSL & Security

Yes! All custom domains automatically get free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt via Cloudflare.Features:
  • Automatic issuance (1-5 minutes)
  • Auto-renewal (every 60 days)
  • TLS 1.2+ encryption
  • Trusted by all browsers
  • HTTP to HTTPS redirect
You never pay for or manage SSL certificates manually.
No. Custom SSL certificate upload is not supported.Watchman Tower uses Cloudflare’s automatic SSL provisioning, which is:
  • Free
  • Automatically managed
  • Industry-standard security
  • Compatible with all browsers
Custom certificates would add complexity without providing additional security benefits.
SSL certificates are valid for 90 days and automatically renew 30 days before expiration.You never have to manually renew. Cloudflare handles all renewal automatically.Watchman Tower monitors renewal status and will alert you only if there’s an issue (extremely rare).
This won’t happen. Cloudflare automatically renews certificates well before expiration.If renewal somehow fails (extremely rare):
  1. Watchman Tower detects the issue
  2. Sends you an email alert
  3. Automatically retries renewal
  4. Support team is notified for manual intervention if needed
In 99.9% of cases, you’ll never experience SSL expiration.
Yes. All custom domains benefit from Cloudflare’s enterprise-grade DDoS protection:
  • Layer 3/4 network attacks
  • Layer 7 application attacks
  • Automatic mitigation
  • No configuration needed
Your status page remains accessible even during large-scale attacks.
Not usually. Most domains don’t have CAA (Certificate Authority Authorization) records.If you do have CAA records, ensure they allow Let’s Encrypt:
mycompany.com. CAA 0 issue "letsencrypt.org"
Check if you have CAA records:
dig CAA mycompany.com
If the command returns no results, you don’t have CAA records and don’t need to do anything.

​
Troubleshooting

Common causes:
  1. DNS not propagated yet - Wait 10-20 more minutes
  2. CNAME incorrect - Verify with dig CNAME status.mycompany.com
  3. Cloudflare proxy enabled - Set to gray cloud (DNS only)
  4. CAA records blocking - Check and update CAA records
See the Troubleshooting Guide for detailed solutions.
Immediate checks:
  1. Verify CNAME exists: 
    dig CNAME status.mycompany.com
  2. Check CNAME target is exact: 
    status.watchmantower.com
    (No spaces, no http://, no typos)
  3. If using Cloudflare DNS:
    • Ensure proxy is OFF (gray cloud)
  4. Wait 10 minutes for DNS propagation
If still showing error after 30 minutes, contact support.
Most common reason: SSL certificate not issued yetCheck dashboard status:
  • If SSL Being Issued (yellow) - Wait, don’t visit domain yet
  • If Working (green) - Clear browser cache and try again
Never visit your domain until status shows Working in the dashboard.
Possible causes:
  1. CNAME deleted - Someone removed the DNS record
  2. Cloudflare proxy re-enabled - Set back to gray cloud
  3. Domain expired - Renew domain registration
  4. DNS provider changed - Re-add CNAME at new provider
Check your DNS settings first:
dig CNAME status.mycompany.com
If CNAME is missing, re-add it.
Email [email protected] with:
  1. Your domain name
  2. Screenshot of DNS settings
  3. Output of: dig CNAME status.mycompany.com
  4. DNS provider name
  5. Current status badge color (green/yellow/red)
Response time: 2-4 hours during business hours

​
Billing & Plans

If you downgrade from Team/Stack to Solo/Free:
  1. Your custom domain stops working immediately
  2. Status page reverts to default URL: 
    https://status.watchmantower.com/your-workspace-slug
  3. Custom domain configuration is saved for 30 days
  4. If you upgrade again within 30 days, your custom domain is automatically restored
  5. After 30 days, custom domain configuration is deleted
Recommendation: Update all links before downgrading.
Yes! You can upgrade to Team or Stack at any time.
  • Upgrade is prorated based on remaining days in your billing cycle
  • Custom domain feature is available immediately after upgrade
  • No waiting period
Upgrade your plan to enable custom domains.
No. All SSL certificate renewals are included in your plan at no extra cost.There are no hidden fees for:
  • Certificate issuance
  • Certificate renewal
  • Bandwidth/traffic
  • DNS queries
  • CDN usage

​
Performance & Reliability

Your custom domain benefits from Cloudflare’s global CDN with 300+ locations worldwide.Typical load times:
  • Static assets: < 50ms (cached at edge)
  • Dynamic content: 100-300ms
  • First visit: 200-500ms
Pages load from the nearest Cloudflare location to each visitor, ensuring fast performance globally.
Custom domains inherit Cloudflare’s enterprise infrastructure:
  • Network uptime: 99.99%+ (Cloudflare’s track record)
  • SSL availability: 99.9%+
  • Edge caching: Continues serving content even if origin is unreachable
Your status page remains accessible even during Watchman Tower maintenance windows thanks to edge caching.
Cloudflare has limited presence in China due to regulatory requirements.Accessibility:
  • Custom domains work globally including Hong Kong
  • Mainland China access may be slower or unreliable
  • Not optimized for China-specific deployment
If you need China-optimized hosting, contact sales for enterprise options.
Yes. Cloudflare fully supports IPv6 for all custom domains.Both IPv4 and IPv6 visitors can access your status page without any special configuration needed.

​
Advanced Use Cases

Yes, but with limitations:Your status page can be embedded via iframe:
<iframe src="https://status.mycompany.com" width="100%" height="600"></iframe>
Note: Modern browsers may restrict iframes for security. Test thoroughly in your target environments.
Custom domains are for public status page hosting only.API access always uses:
https://api.watchmantower.com/public/v1
Custom domains do not affect API endpoints or authentication.
Custom CSS is available on Stack plan and higher.Custom domains work with all branding features:
  • Custom colors
  • Logo upload
  • Custom CSS (Stack plan)
  • Favicon
  • Meta tags
Your custom domain displays all your branding customizations.
Yes. Many companies redirect their root domain to their status page.Example: mycompany.com → status.mycompany.comHow to set up: Create a URL redirect (also called HTTP 301) in your DNS provider or hosting:
Source: mycompany.com
Target: https://status.mycompany.com
Type: 301 (Permanent)
This is especially useful for companies that only have a status page and no main website yet.

​
Still Have Questions?

Setup Guide

Follow step-by-step instructions to configure your domain

Troubleshooting

Detailed solutions for common issues

Security

Learn about security best practices