Guide · 2026-03-04

Buy a Domain and Connect It to Your App

Buy a domain on Namecheap and connect it to Vercel, Railway, or Cloudflare. DNS records explained with exact values to copy.

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Last updated
Apr 7, 2026
What this answers
Buy a domain on Namecheap and connect it to Vercel, Railway, or Cloudflare. DNS records explained with exact values to copy.
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You need the useful version, not the generic setup checklist.

Quick Answer

Buy a Domain and Connect It to Your App

Buy a domain on Namecheap and connect it to Vercel, Railway, or Cloudflare. DNS records explained with exact values to copy.

What You'll Do

Buy a domain (~$10/year), configure DNS, and connect it to your deployed app. SSL certificate is automatic. Takes about 15 minutes.

Step 1: Buy Your Domain

Go to namecheap.com → Search your domain → Add to cart → Checkout.

Domain pricing reality:

.com     $8-12/year    — most trusted
.app     $14-20/year   — good for apps
.dev     $12-15/year   — developer-friendly
.io      $30-50/year   — popular but pricey
.co      $20-30/year   — startup-friendly

Always check the renewal price before buying. Some registrars charge $1 first year, $40+ renewal.

Checkpoint: Domain appears in Namecheap dashboard as "Active".

Step 2: Connect to Vercel

In Namecheap Dashboard → Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS → Add New Record:

Type: A Record
Host: @
Value: 76.76.21.21
TTL: Automatic

Type: CNAME Record
Host: www
Value: cname.vercel-dns.com
TTL: Automatic

Delete any existing A or CNAME records for @ and www first.

Then in Vercel → Project Settings → Domains → Add your domain.

Checkpoint: Vercel shows green checkmarks for both yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com.

Step 3: Connect to Railway (Alternative)

Railway Dashboard → Settings → Networking → Custom Domain → Enter domain.

Railway shows a CNAME record — add it in Namecheap → Advanced DNS:

Type: CNAME Record
Host: @
Value: [shown-in-railway].up.railway.app
TTL: Automatic

Step 4: Move DNS to Cloudflare (Recommended)

If using Cloudflare Workers, or for better DNS performance:

  • Cloudflare Dashboard → Add site → Enter domain → Free plan
  • Note the two nameservers Cloudflare shows
  • Namecheap → Domain List → Manage → Nameservers → Custom DNS → Enter Cloudflare's nameservers

    • Moving DNS to Cloudflare is free and gives you DDoS protection, faster DNS globally, and easy management.

    Checkpoint: Cloudflare shows "Cloudflare is now protecting your site".

    Step 5: Wait and Verify

    DNS changes take 5 minutes to 2 hours. Check at whatsmydns.net.

    bash
    curl -I https://your-domain.com

    Checkpoint: Shows HTTP/2 200 and your domain loads with green SSL padlock.

    If SSL stays "pending" for hours, check DNS records match exactly. One wrong character prevents SSL. See domain fix.

    Next Steps

  • Deploy to Vercel — detailed guide
  • Deploy to Railway — for backend apps
  • Cloudflare guide — edge deployment