--- schema_version: "1" id: c74825f8837c81f9d5e4846d72af2e5bd8e5c09cb316963d297b0a224afff685 title: Determine How to Serve Your Custom Domain collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/domain_mgmt_determine_configuration.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_determine_configuration.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: b69b6c8aa1700b6d1cb2575ff2b6bcbe978146f0990c702bc6cf8b4479318652 description: To determine the recommended domain configuration option to serve your custom domain, answer a few questions about your domain and your Salesforce configuration. products: - Salesforce Platform - Security release: "264" --- # Determine How to Serve Your Custom Domain To determine the recommended domain configuration option to serve your custom domain, answer a few questions about your domain and your Salesforce configuration. ### Required Editions
Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience
Available in: Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions.
Applies to: Salesforce Sites and LWR, Aura, and Visualforce sites
![Decision diagram](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-extend_click-264-0-0-production-enus/5f7d9219-b7b1-4552-8891-f1aba9b289fc/extend_click/images/custom_domain_determine_config2.png) 1. If you don’t own a domain yet, determine the domain to use to serve your site content, including whether you require a registrable domain. For more information, see [Custom Domain Prerequisites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_prereqs.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Before you serve your site content with a custom domain, register a domain. To get that domain ready to serve your site content, update the Domain Name System (DNS) record to point to your org. Review your site URLs for potential conflicts, and complete the prerequisites for your chosen domain configuration option."). 2. If your domain currently serves content, to minimize the downtime for your domain, plan to set up a [temporary non-HTTPS domain](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_temp_domain.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce requires that you serve your custom domain via HTTPS. However, some configuration steps can require a temporary non-HTTPS configuration. If your HTTPS certificate isn’t ready to be uploaded to Salesforce, you can use a temporary domain to start configuring your custom URLs. Also, when your domain serves other content, or when you want to move a custom domain to a new production org, you can use a temporary domain to minimize disruption to your domain."). 1. To move a domain to another org, set up a temporary non-HTTP domain as the first step. After the domain is configured in your new org, use the same domain configuration option as the existing domain. For more information, see [Move a Domain to Another Production Org](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_move.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "If you purchase a new production org, your old org continues to serve your sites with your custom domain. To move the domain to your new org, set up the domain, and then delete the domain in your old org. Or if you have multiple production orgs, you can move an existing domain to an org of your choice."). 2. If your domain serves content outside of Salesforce, to determine the final option to use for your domain, go to the next step. 3. If you plan to use a registrable domain, skip to the question about whether a non-Salesforce third-party service or CDN serves your domain. 4. If you have digital experiences, including the ones built with [Experience Cloud](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_license_types_communities.htm&type=5&language=en_US), [Commerce](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=commerce.comm_b2b_licenses.htm&type=5&language=en_US), and [Industries](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.industries_object_access_by_license.htm&type=5&language=en_US) licenses, we recommend that you use the Salesforce content delivery network (CDN). 1. If your company’s policies prohibit the caching of your site content, go to the question about whether a non-Salesforce third-party service or CDN serves your domain. 2. Otherwise, when you add your domain in Salesforce, select the domain configuration option **Serve the domain with the Salesforce Content Delivery Network (CDN)**. For instructions, see [Serve Your Experience Cloud Site with the Salesforce Content Delivery Network (CDN)](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_salesforce_cdn.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Optimize page load times and site performance with our content delivery network. Salesforce partners with a content delivery network (CDN) provider to efficiently deliver publicly cacheable content to users on your Experience Cloud sites. We recommend the Salesforce CDN for custom domains that serve Digital Experiences, including Experiences built with Experience Cloud, Commerce, and Industries licenses."). To learn how CDNs optimize page load times and site performance by caching your site content, see [Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and Salesforce](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.community_builder_cdn_overview.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Optimize page load times and site performance with our content delivery network (CDN). Salesforce partners with a CDN provider to efficiently deliver publicly cacheable content to users on your Experience Cloud sites."). 5. If a non-Salesforce third-party service or CDN serves your domain, when you add your domain in Salesforce, select the domain configuration option **Use a third-party service or CDN to serve the domain**. For instructions, see [Use a Third-Party Service or CDN to Serve Your Custom Domain](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_external_host.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use a domain that’s hosted by a third-party service to serve your Experience Cloud sites or Salesforce Sites. These third-party services include third-party hosts, web application firewalls (WAFs), and non-Salesforce content delivery networks (CDNs)."). 6. If your domain uses a web application firewall (WAF), when you add your domain in Salesforce, select the domain configuration option **Use a third-party service or CDN to serve the domain**. For instructions, see [Use a Third-Party Service or CDN to Serve Your Custom Domain](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_external_host.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use a domain that’s hosted by a third-party service to serve your Experience Cloud sites or Salesforce Sites. These third-party services include third-party hosts, web application firewalls (WAFs), and non-Salesforce content delivery networks (CDNs)."). 7. If none of the other scenarios apply, when you add your domain in Salesforce, select the domain configuration option **Serve the domain with your HTTPS certificate on Salesforce servers**. For instructions, see [Serve a Custom Domain with Your HTTPS Certificate on Salesforce Servers](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_cert.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use an HTTPS certificate that you own to serve your custom domain. After you set up your domain in Salesforce, that domain can serve your Experience Cloud sites or Salesforce Sites."). For more information about each of these options and the corresponding traffic flows, see Options to Serve a Custom Domain. #### See Also - [Custom Domains](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Provide a branded experience for users who access your external-facing Salesforce content by serving your Digital Experiences or Salesforce Sites on a domain that you own, such as https://www.example.com.") - [Options to Serve a Custom Domain](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_domain_config_options.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce supports three HTTPS options to serve your domain. Whether you serve content for your domain via an HTTPS certificate that you own, through the Salesforce content delivery network (CDN), or through an external service, we require that you use HTTPS. When initial configuration requires that your domain is available before you enable HTTPS, Salesforce also supports a temporary non-HTTPS option.") - [Custom Domain Prerequisites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_prereqs.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Before you serve your site content with a custom domain, register a domain. To get that domain ready to serve your site content, update the Domain Name System (DNS) record to point to your org. Review your site URLs for potential conflicts, and complete the prerequisites for your chosen domain configuration option.")