Custom domains

Custom domains let you use your own web address instead of the default platform URLs. You can set up a custom domain for your client portal, your property listing websites, and your email sending domain.

To manage domains, go to Settings from the sidebar and click the Domain tab.

Organization Subdomain

Every organization gets a subdomain on the platform. This is the default address where your team and clients access the portal.

Your subdomain URL looks like: https://your-company.photeria.io

Changing your subdomain

1. In the Organization Subdomain card, edit the text in the subdomain field.
2. The system automatically converts your input to lowercase, replaces spaces with hyphens, and removes any invalid characters.
3. A real-time availability check runs as you type. You will see a green checkmark if the subdomain is available, or a red X if it is already taken.
4. Click Save Changes to apply the new subdomain.

Subdomain rules

• Must be at least 3 characters and no more than 50 characters.
• Must start with a letter.
• Can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.
• Cannot end with a hyphen.
• Cannot contain consecutive hyphens.
• Certain common names are reserved (like www, app, admin, api, help, support, and others).

What happens when you change your subdomain

If you are currently accessing the portal through your old subdomain, you will be automatically redirected to the new one after saving. Your login session is preserved during the redirect, so you will not need to sign in again.

You can copy your full subdomain URL by clicking the copy button next to the field.

Client Portal Domain

The Client Portal Domain is a custom domain that your clients and staff use to access the portal. For example, portal.yourcompany.com instead of your-company.photeria.io.

Setting up a portal domain

1. In the Client Portal Domain card, type your desired hostname (e.g., portal.yourcompany.com) into the text field.
2. Click Add Domain.
3. You will see DNS configuration instructions with records you need to add.

DNS records for the portal domain

You need to add the following DNS records at your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.):

CNAME Record

This routes traffic from your custom domain to the platform.

• Name / Host: The subdomain part of your domain (e.g., portal)
• Value / Points to: portal.photeria.io

TXT Record (Ownership Verification)

This proves you own the domain.

• Name / Host: _photeria-verify.portal.yourcompany.com (the system generates this for you)
• Value / Content: A unique verification token displayed in the settings (use the copy button to grab it)

TXT Record (Hosting Verification)

In some cases, an additional TXT record may be required for hosting verification. If this record appears in the instructions, add it as well. The name and value are provided in the settings.

Verifying your portal domain

1. After adding all the DNS records at your registrar, come back to the Domain settings.
2. Click the Check DNS & Verify Domain button.
3. If everything is configured correctly, the domain status will change to Active.

DNS changes usually take 1 to 5 minutes to propagate, but in some cases they can take up to 48 hours. If verification fails, double-check your records and try again later.

Domain status indicators

• Pending DNS (yellow) - Waiting for you to configure DNS records.
• DNS Verified (blue) - DNS records are correct, processing is underway.
• Provisioning SSL (blue) - An SSL certificate is being set up for your domain.
• Active (green) - Everything is working. Your custom domain is live.
• Error (red) - Something went wrong. Check the error message for details.

Disconnecting a portal domain

If you need to remove your custom portal domain, click the Disconnect button next to the domain name. A confirmation dialog will appear. After disconnecting, clients and staff will need to use the default platform domain to access the portal. You can reconnect the domain later.

Listings Domain

The Listings Domain is a custom domain for your property websites. For example, listings.yourcompany.com or even a standalone domain like www.yourbrand.com.

Setting up a listings domain

1. In the Listings Domain card, type your desired hostname (e.g., listings.yourcompany.com or www.yourbrand.com).
2. Click Add Domain.
3. If you enter a bare domain (like yourbrand.com without a subdomain prefix), the system will automatically prepend www. for you.

DNS records for the listings domain

Add these two records at your domain registrar:

Record 1: CNAME

• Name / Host: The subdomain part (e.g., listings or www)
• Value / Points to: listings.photeria.io

Record 2: TXT

• Name / Host: _photeria-verify.listings.yourcompany.com (shown in the settings)
• Value / Content: Your unique verification token (use the copy button)

Verifying and provisioning

1. After adding the DNS records, click Check DNS & Verify Domain.
2. If DNS verification passes, SSL provisioning will begin automatically. You will see a "Provisioning SSL" status with a spinner.
3. SSL provisioning typically takes 1 to 5 minutes. The page automatically checks for completion every few seconds.
4. Once provisioning is complete, the status changes to Active.

Disconnecting a listings domain

Click Disconnect next to the domain name and confirm in the dialog. Your property websites will revert to the default platform domain. You can reconnect the domain at any time.

Email Sending Domain

The Email Sending Domain lets you send transactional emails (order confirmations, delivery notifications, etc.) from your own domain instead of a generic platform address.

Setting up an email sending domain

1. In the Email Sending Domain card, enter your root domain (e.g., yourcompany.com).
2. Click Connect Domain.
3. You will see a list of DNS records to add, which may include TXT, CNAME, and MX records depending on your email provider configuration.

Verifying your email domain

After adding the required DNS records, click the Verify or Re-check button. If all records are properly configured, the status will change to Verified (green). If some records are missing or incorrect, you will see a Failed (red) status with details about what needs to be fixed.

Disconnecting an email domain

Click Disconnect and confirm in the dialog to remove your email sending domain.

Tips for Custom Domains

• Use subdomains (like portal. or listings.) rather than your root domain for portal and listings. This avoids conflicts with your existing website.
• If you use Cloudflare as your DNS provider, make sure the CNAME record is set to "DNS only" (gray cloud) rather than "Proxied" (orange cloud) during initial setup.
• Keep your DNS records in place even after verification. Removing them can cause your custom domain to stop working.
• You can set up one portal domain and one listings domain per organization.