Custom Domains for Your Next-Gen Live App

Overview

This guide explains how to set up and manage a custom domain for apps built using Knack’s Next-Gen Builder and Live App experience.

Using a custom domain makes your app more professional and on-brand, while giving your users a clean and memorable URL to access your application.

Note: Custom Domains are available for users on Pro plans or higher. View plans and pricing

Full Domain Control in Next-Gen

Next-Gen gives you full control over domain configuration:

• Domain name selection — Choose any subdomain that fits your needs
• DNS record management — Configure DNS settings with your own registrar
• Multiple domain setup — Assign a unique subdomain to an individual app

Examples of valid domains:

• portal.mycompany.com
• dashboard.clientname.org
• inventory.manufacturing.net
• crm.salesteam.com

Requesting a Custom Domain

1. Open your Builder, go to Settings → Custom Domain
2. Depending on your plan:

   • If you're not eligible, you'll see a "View Plan and Upgrade" button

   • 

     If eligible, you'll see a "Request Custom Domain" button

3. Clicking the button opens a request form:
   Submit Custom Domain Request

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The Knack Support Team team will contact you to assist with the setup and let you know once complete.

Configuring DNS Settings

Once your domain request has been approved:

DNS Record Setup

• Create a CNAME record
• Point it to: v4customdomains.knack.com

Example DNS Configuration

DNS propagation may take up to 24–48 hours to complete.

How Your Custom Domain Will Look

Unlike Classic apps, Next-Gen apps do not require your app slug at the end of the URL.

For example, instead of this as your Classic: https://portal.acmecompany.com/client-portal

Your Next-Gen app can be accessed directly at (notice no app-slug at the end!): https://clients.acmecompany.com

Note: The default Knack app URL will still remain accessible as well!

Custom Domains for Multiple Apps

Next-Gen allows multiple apps under the same root domain using different subdomains:

• app1.mycompany.com
• app2.mycompany.com
• portal.mycompany.com
• dashboard.mycompany.com

Each domain maps to a completely separate Next-Gen Live App.

Page Tree Navigation

If your app uses a drop-down menu as the first item in the navigation tree, it may not have a designated homepage. This can cause issues when accessing your custom domain directly _(app1.mycompany.com), for example, the page may be blank.

Why This Happens

A drop-down menu in the first position doesn’t link to a specific page, it only reveals additional links. Without a standalone page at the top level, the app has no default destination to load when a visitor lands on your custom domain.

How to Fix It

To avoid a blank screen:

Add a top-level page (not a menu) as the first item in your navigation tree.

Classic → Next-Gen

If you're running both versions of the same app, each version requires its own subdomain.

Example Configuration

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Important: Classic and Next-Gen apps cannot share the same subdomain. You must assign unique subdomains to each.

Planning Your Domain Transition

When migrating from Classic to Next-Gen:

1. Choose your Next-Gen domain
2. Maintain Classic access until the new version is fully validated
3. Plan your switchover and communicate the change to your users
4. Test thoroughly across browsers, devices, and networks

Step-by-Step Summary

1. Choose a subdomain that fits your brand and naming conventions
2. Request the domain via the Builder (Settings → Custom Domain)
3. Create a CNAME record with:
   • Host: your subdomain (e.g. portal)
   • Points to: v4customdomains.knack.com
4. Wait for propagation (24–48 hrs)
5. Test app access using the custom domain
6. Keep your default Knack URL handy as backup

Troubleshooting Notes

• Check your DNS TTL settings if propagation takes longer than 48 hours
• Use the default Knack URL if custom domain access is temporarily down
• Verify that your CNAME record is applied to the correct subdomain only