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Can I use my own domain?

Learn how to use your own domain with Horizon.

Horizon supports private domains, which means you can upload your files to your own domain name while benefitting from all the features Horizon has to offer. This can be useful if you plan on hosting images for business purposes, or if you just want to show off your domain name.

Prerequisites

This feature is exclusive to Horizon Everest users. If you are not subscribed to Horizon Everest, you can do so in your Dashboard by clicking the Upgrade button in your navigation bar.

You need a root-level domain name to use this feature. Subdomains are not supported at this time.

Preparing Your Domain

  1. Purchase a domain name.

    2. If you already have a domain name you would like to add to Horizon, you can skip this step.

    For those who do not, we recommend using Porkbun domain registrar, but others, like Spaceship, work too.

    Do not use Cloudflare Registrar as it will not allow you to change its nameservers unless you transfer out to another registrar.

    Njal.la domain registrar may not work for everyone. We recommend using another domain registrar.

    Once you've purchased your domain name, let it sit for a while to propogate to global DNS servers so we can add it to Horizon later. This process usually only takes 10 minutes, so walk away from your computer and brew some coffee while you wait.

  2. Navigate to "Settings" in the Horizon Dashboard navigation bar.
  3. Click on "Domains".
  4. Enter your domain name into the text field presented.

    5. Do not enter any URLs. The domain name should be raw, e.g. example.com, domain.com, NOT https://domain.com, NOT sub.domain.com.

  5. Update your DNS accordingly.

    6. This step varies by registrar. If you are unsure how to update your DNS, please contact your domain registrar for assistance.

    Add the nameservers presented in the Dashboard. It should be one pair of nameservers.

  6. Wait up to a few hours. This usually only takes about 10 minutes. Take a walk, maybe order some food.

    7. DNS propagation times vary greatly by registrar. If the domain doesn't work right away, keep waiting! If it's been more than several hours, contact your domain registrar.

  7. Verify the domain setup by entering it into your browser.

    8. If all went well, you should be redirected to the Horizon Pics homepage when visiting your domain name.

  8. Set your Horizon domain to your new private domain.

    9. In "Links" in the Horizon Dashboard navigation bar, you can set your domain to your new private domain by selecting it in the File Domain dropdown menu.