Deploy Dograh AI with your own custom domain name for a professional production setup. By now, you should be able to create and test a voice agent by following the previous guide to setup the platform on a remote server using [Docker](docker#option-2%3A-remote-server-deployment)
**You don't need to own a domain just to remove the browser warning.** If your server has a public IP, the [remote setup](docker#option-2%3A-remote-server-deployment) already issues a free, auto-renewing Let's Encrypt certificate via [sslip.io](https://sslip.io) (e.g. `https://203-0-113-10.sslip.io`) — no DNS configuration required. Follow this Custom Domain guide only when you want your **own** domain name (e.g. `voice.yourcompany.com`).
Custom domain deployment allows you to run Dograh AI with a personalized domain name (like `voice.yourcompany.com`) instead of using IP addresses. This setup includes:
- **Custom Domain**: Access your application via a memorable domain name
- **Automatic SSL**: Proper SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt or similar providers
- **Professional Setup**: Production-ready configuration for business use
- **Easy Sharing**: Share a clean URL with your team and customers
You need to create a DNS record that points your domain to your server's IP address.
### Add an A Record
Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider and add an A record:
| Setting | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Type | A |
| Name/Host | `voice` (or `@` for root domain) |
| Value/Points to | Your server's IP address (e.g., `203.0.113.50`) |
| TTL | 300 (or default) |
<Note>
DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate, though most changes take effect within 5-30 minutes. You can check if your DNS has propagated using tools like [dnschecker.org](https://dnschecker.org).
</Note>
### Verify DNS Propagation
Before proceeding, verify that your domain points to your server:
```bash
nslookup voice.yourcompany.com
```
You should see your server's IP address in the response.
Once your DNS is configured, run the automated setup script that handles the rest.
<Note>
You must be at the same place where you had run `setup_remote.sh` from. The directory should contain `dograh/` with the artifacts that got created when `setup_remote.sh` was run.
</Note>
<Note>
You must not move the `dograh/` directory to a different location after running `setup_custom_domain.sh`, since we set up auto certificate renewal script as certbot renewal hook pointing to the `dograh/` directory.
Update `.env` so the canonical remote settings use your domain — `dograh-init` reads these to render nginx's `server_name`. Replace `voice.yourcompany.com` with your actual domain throughout:
Bring the stack up (or recreate it) through the validated wrapper. nginx serves the Let's Encrypt HTTP-01 challenge from `certs/.well-known/acme-challenge/` on port 80, so the stack must be **running** during issuance — there's no need to stop it:
You'll be prompted for an email address (for renewal notices) and to agree to the terms of service. Because nginx keeps serving traffic throughout, issuance and renewal happen with **no downtime** — unlike the older `--standalone` flow, which had to stop the stack to free port 80.
1. **Port 80 blocked**: Ensure port 80 is open in your firewall and reachable from the internet. With the webroot flow nginx must be **running** and serving the challenge on port 80 (don't stop the stack)
