For customers who wish to present a branded experience for their users, NetX offers support for a custom hostname. This is accomplished through the use of a CNAME, which is a type of DNS record that is used to map one domain to another. With a CNAME, you can change your primary NetX URL from the standard mycompany.netx.net format to a custom URL such as assets.mycompany.com.
Valid domain names
- We do not support "naked" domains (e.g., google.com, netx.net, acme.org).
- Your custom hostname must have a fully qualified domain name, such as assets.mycompany.com or www.acmebrand.com.
- A brand new domain must first be set up to redirect to a "www" subdomain or similar. Most registrars have a built-in function for doing this.
- If you wish to use a subdomain, it must be an unused domain.
Step 1: Create DNS record
First, you will need to create a CNAME record on your domain's DNS servers that maps your domain name (assets.mycompany.com) to an existing NetX site (mycompany.netx.net). This step is typically accomplished with the help of your hosting provider or internal tech support team.
- An example CNAME record looks like this: assets.mycompany.com 3600 IN CNAME mycompany.netx.net
You must set up the DNS record before NetX can fully implement the custom hostname and certificate. NetX does not set up or maintain your domain's records on NetX DNS servers.
Step 2: Generate an SSL/TLS certificate
NetX uses Let's Encrypt for generating SSL/TLS certificates. Let's Encrypt is a non-profit certificate authority run by Internet Security Research Group (ISRG) that provides X.509 certificates for Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption at no charge. The service is funded by a growing number of big-name donors and "supports a more secure and privacy-respecting Web".
Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days, but have an automated renewal and installation process so your certificate always stays up to date. NetX will handle renewals automatically, free of charge.
To request a Let's Encrypt certificate, provide your Account Manager or Onboarding Specialist with the fully qualified domain name, e.g. assets.mycompany.com.
Step 3: Custom redirect (optional)
A custom redirect is an optional service we offer for customers who wish to redirect users to a specific URL, such as a Portal. For example, if a user visited https://assets.mycompany.com/ they would be redirected to https://assets.mycompany.com/portals/myportal. Additional details about this service are below:
- This is considered an additional service beyond the custom hostname.
- NetX will redirect off of the root / of the URL to a custom location such as /portals/myportal.
- If a custom redirect is requested, NetX will implement this as a 302 redirect on the web server.
- NetX will not enforce any kind of restricted access on a custom redirect, this service is simply a redirect. For example, NetX cannot remove the ability to access a URL such as https://assets.mycompany.com/app (the NetX application).
- Anything beyond a single redirect as described above will not be supported (example: proxies, IP range whitelists) unless previously discussed.