Multi-Warehouse & 3PL

Connecting a custom domain to your Brand portal

Point your own domain (orders.acme.com) at ShipWave for a fully white-labeled customer experience.

Why use a custom domain

A custom domain replaces acme.shipwave.app with something on your own domain—typically a subdomain like orders.acme.com, returns.acme.com, or track.acme.com. Customers see only your URL in their browser, your shipping confirmation emails, and your tracking links. ShipWave is invisible. This is the cleanest experience for brand-conscious storefronts and required by some enterprise compliance teams.

Step 1: Add the domain in ShipWave

Go to Admin → Brand Settings → Custom Domain and enter the domain you want to use (for example, orders.acme.com). ShipWave generates two DNS records you need to add at your DNS provider: a TXT record to verify ownership, and a CNAME record that routes traffic to ShipWave. Both records are shown on the setup page with one-click copy buttons.

Step 2: Add the DNS records

Log into your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, etc.) and add both records exactly as shown:
  • TXT record at _shipwave.orders.acme.com with the verification token from setup.
  • CNAME record at orders.acme.com pointing to portal.shipwave.app.
If you're using Cloudflare, set the CNAME to "DNS only" (gray cloud), not "Proxied" (orange cloud)—Cloudflare's proxy interferes with SSL provisioning.

Step 3: Verify and provision SSL

Back in ShipWave, click Verify domain. The system checks for the TXT record (this can take 5–30 minutes after you add it—DNS propagation is slow). Once verified, ShipWave automatically requests a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate and binds it to your domain. The full process usually completes within 10 minutes of TXT verification. Your custom URL goes live with a valid green padlock and HTTP traffic automatically redirects to HTTPS.

After it's live

Outgoing emails (shipping confirmations, return labels, tracking updates) automatically switch to your custom domain. The old {slug}.shipwave.app URL keeps working as a fallback—old links don't break. SSL certificates renew automatically every 90 days; you don't need to do anything. If you want to swap the domain later, remove it from the same settings page and add the replacement.

FAQs

Can I use the apex domain (acme.com instead of a subdomain)?
Not directly. Apex domains require ALIAS or ANAME records, which not all DNS providers support. We strongly recommend using a subdomain like orders.acme.com or returns.acme.com.
How long does the whole setup take?
Five minutes of clicking, plus DNS propagation time. Most domains are live end-to-end within 30 minutes; some slow DNS providers take a few hours.
What if SSL fails to provision?
The most common cause is a Cloudflare proxy or another CDN sitting in front. Set the CNAME to DNS-only (gray cloud in Cloudflare), wait 10 minutes, then retry. If it still fails, contact support and we'll inspect the certificate request logs.

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