GuestLens Custom domains

Reference

Custom domains

By default every event lives under your own address, such as your-site.com/e/maya-and-daniel. That works out of the box and needs nothing from you.

A host can also show an event on their own domain, such as photos.mayaanddaniel.com. GuestLens recognizes the domain and serves the event there. This is a plan feature: turn on Custom hostname in the plans that include it. See Plans.

Set up a custom domain

You (or the host) do three things in DNS and in your hosting panel first. Plan about ten minutes for each domain.

1

Point the domain at your server

The domain's owner adds a DNS record at their domain company. For a subdomain such as photos.mayaanddaniel.com, a CNAME record pointing at your own domain is easiest. For a whole domain, an A record with your server's IP address.

2

Add the domain in your hosting panel

In cPanel, open Domains and add it with the same document root as your GuestLens site (for example guestlens/public).

3

Turn on HTTPS for it

Use your panel's free Let's Encrypt or AutoSSL button, the same way as for your main domain.

4

Save the hostname in the event

The host opens the event's Settings, types the hostname under Custom hostname, and saves. From then on, the event's QR code and link use that hostname, and opening the hostname goes straight to the event. Download the QR code again after this step.

GuestLens cannot do steps 1 to 3 for you. They need access to the DNS and your hosting panel, and shared hosting has no safe way to allow that. Anyone who promises automatic custom domains on shared hosting is promising something they cannot deliver.

Other names are refused

GuestLens only answers on your APP_URL address (with or without www) and on hostnames saved in events. Any other name that reaches your server gets a Not Found page. This stops someone from sending your site a fake address and getting it into the links in your emails.