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Using custom domain with app platform

Posted on October 14, 2025

I am trying to point my custom subdomain (for example, api.mycompany.com) to App Platform. I am following the documentation at https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/app-platform/how-to/manage-domains/.

In the documentation, there is a screenshot of the admin panel showing a radio button that allows toggling between “We manage your domain” and “You manage your domain.” However, I cannot find this radio button anywhere in my admin panel. Are the docs outdated?

Is it still possible to simply create a CNAME record in my domain registrar’s admin panel that points my subdomain (api.mycompany.com) to my DigitalOcean app (my-company-api.ondigitalocean.app)?



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Hi there,

I just checked in my personal account and the radio button should still appear when you add a new domain, it lets you choose between “We manage your domain” (DigitalOcean DNS) and “You manage your domain” (external DNS):

If you don’t see it, make sure you’re adding a new domain or subdomain that isn’t already linked to another App Platform app. If the domain is already in use, the interface may skip that step and just warn you about overwriting existing DNS records (like in the screenshot).

And yes, it’s still perfectly fine to create a CNAME record manually at your registrar that points your subdomain (for example, api.mycompany.com) to your App Platform app’s default hostname (like my-company-api.ondigitalocean.app).

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