ClouDNS

How to integrate ClouDNS with Webflow

Webflow's native DNS doesn't support CNAME records at the apex domain or provide failover monitoring. ClouDNS adds ALIAS record support for root domains without redirects, GeoDNS for geographic traffic routing, DNS failover with automated health checks, and full REST API access for programmatic control.

The easiest way to set up your ClouDNS Webflow integration is through manual DNS configuration in the ClouDNS control panel. You can also build automated workflows using the ClouDNS API combined with Webflow's API for programmatic DNS management.

Both approaches require you to add three specific DNS records: an A record pointing your root domain to Webflow's hosting infrastructure, a CNAME record for the www subdomain, and a TXT record for domain verification.

Manual DNS configuration

Configure DNS records through the ClouDNS web interface to connect your custom domain to Webflow. This method requires no coding and works through simple form fields in the ClouDNS control panel.

Get your DNS values from Webflow's Site settings → Publishing → Production tab, then add three records in ClouDNS:

1. Add an A record pointing your root domain to 198.202.211.1
2. Add a CNAME record for the www subdomain pointing to cdn.webflow.com
3. Add a TXT record with hostname webflow containing your unique verification code from Webflow

Note: Sites created before April 21, 2025 may require different A record IP addresses — always verify the current IP in your Webflow dashboard.

Setup capabilities:

• Add A records pointing to 198.202.211.1
• Configure CNAME records pointing to cdn.webflow.com for subdomain routing
• Set up TXT records with webflow hostname for domain verification
• Use ALIAS records for root domain hosting without redirect loops (supported by ClouDNS but not all DNS providers)
• Configure CAA records to allow Webflow's SSL certificate authorities: 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" and 0 issue "pki.goog"

DNS propagation: Changes to Webflow DNS records propagate almost immediately to ClouDNS's authoritative nameservers, but global propagation typically takes a few seconds to 4 hours (with up to 48 hours as a worst-case scenario depending on TTL settings and ISP caching). Lower your TTL to the ClouDNS minimum of 60 seconds before making changes, then increase it to 3600 seconds after verification.

Note: TTL adjustments are only available on Premium, DDoS, or GeoDNS plans. Free tier users cannot modify TTL values.

SSL certificates: Webflow automatically provisions SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt or Google Trust Services once DNS records verify correctly. No manual SSL configuration required. If you have existing CAA records configured, you must explicitly allow these certificate authorities by adding the following CAA records: 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" and 0 issue "pki.goog". Without proper CAA configuration, SSL certificate provisioning will fail.

Build with Webflow and ClouDNS APIs

The ClouDNS API provides programmatic control over DNS records, zones, and features like GeoDNS and failover monitoring. Combine this with Webflow's API to automate domain configuration when publishing new sites or updating existing domains.

Authenticate to ClouDNS using API credentials from your account dashboard, then call REST endpoints to manage DNS zones and records. Use Webflow's domain management endpoints to retrieve your custom domains and their publishing status.

API automation capabilities:

• Register new DNS zones with POST /dns/register-domain.json
• Add DNS records programmatically using POST /dns/add-record.json
• Query existing configurations with GET /dns/list-records.json to verify or update records
• Retrieve Webflow site domains via GET /v2/sites/{siteid}/domains
• Implement workflow automation using Webflow's site_publish webhook events

Note: ClouDNS webhooks are limited to DNS Failover monitoring events only and do not support DNS record change notifications.

API rate limits: ClouDNS enforces a rate limit of 20 requests per second per IP address. Design your automation workflows to respect this limit to avoid throttling. For high-volume production workflows, contact ClouDNS support to discuss your requirements.

Automated DNS provisioning

Automated DNS provisioning for Webflow sites using ClouDNS requires custom API integration, as no native automation platforms (Zapier, Make, IFTTT) provide direct ClouDNS support. However, both ClouDNS and Webflow offer comprehensive REST APIs enabling developers to build custom automation workflows.

Build custom services that receive Webflow webhook payloads, extract domain information, authenticate with ClouDNS API credentials, create DNS zones and required records (A, CNAME, TXT) via ClouDNS API endpoints, and return status confirmations.

The site_publish webhook fires whenever you publish a site to a custom domain, providing published domain names in the event payload. This workflow eliminates manual DNS setup for agencies managing multiple client sites.

Geographic traffic routing with GeoDNS

Route visitors to geographically appropriate servers based on their location. Query available geographic locations using the GeoDNS API, verify your zone supports GeoDNS with the availability check endpoint, then configure location-based routing rules for your domain.

ClouDNS supports GeoDNS, which enables geographic traffic routing to direct users based on their location. When configured for Webflow sites, GeoDNS can route queries to geographically appropriate servers. Webflow itself provides global CDN infrastructure to minimize page load times across continents.

High availability monitoring with failover DNS

Set up automated health monitoring that switches traffic to backup servers when your primary server fails. Activate monitoring with the failover activation endpoint, specifying required parameters including domain name, record ID, backup IP address, and check type (such as HTTP, TCP, UDP, or ICMP Ping monitoring protocols).

Configure HTTP health checks through ClouDNS's DNS Failover feature to verify your Webflow site responds correctly. ClouDNS's Failover DNS service supports multiple health monitoring types including HTTP checks to detect and respond to outages quickly, with automatic failover to backup IP addresses when primary servers become unavailable.

Dynamic DNS for changing infrastructure

For hybrid architectures where Webflow hosts your marketing site but external services with dynamic IPs power backend functionality, use ClouDNS's Dynamic DNS API to automatically update DNS records when service IPs change. Dynamic DNS enables automatic IP updates through simple HTTP requests that scripts, serverless functions, or infrastructure automation tools can trigger.

What you can build

Connect ClouDNS with Webflow to enable DNS architectures that combine visual design with enterprise-grade infrastructure management.

• Global e-commerce platform with geographic routing: Build a Webflow store with proper DNS configuration using ClouDNS's ALIAS record support, enabling root domain setup without www prefix. ClouDNS's Anycast network infrastructure provides globally distributed DNS service.

• Multi-brand agency dashboard with API-based DNS provisioning: Create a custom dashboard using ClouDNS's REST API and Webflow's developer API that programmatically provisions DNS zones and configures required records (A, CNAME, TXT) for new Webflow client projects. This enables agencies to automate DNS setup workflows.

• High-availability SaaS marketing site with DNS failover monitoring: Deploy a Webflow marketing site with DNS monitoring through ClouDNS DNS Failover service, which monitors custom domain availability and can trigger automated notifications or redirect traffic based on configured health checks.

• Development environment with dynamic DNS: Set up staging environments using ClouDNS's Dynamic DNS feature, which allows DNS records to update manually or via API when backend services receive new IP addresses. Configure Dynamic DNS with unique record-specific passwords for secure updates.