Setting Up Your Domain
In order to host a website with Filmbot, you'll need to select a domain. We can accommodate root domains or subdomains. If you have a recurring festival, we'll need you to also come up with a new subfolder for each new festival season. Most festivals use the year for their subfolder, for example: yourfestivalname.com/2021.
Note, we will need to have full takeover of either a domain or a subdomain that you own. You won't be able to keep an existing site at the same location, so please keep this in mind as you select the domain you'd like to use.
Read more about root domains, subdomains, and subfolders.
Steps to Set Up Your Domain
Using a root domain
- Purchase the domain from your preferred domain registrar.
- Email support@filmbot.com and let us know what the domain is, and the subfolder for the current festival season if applicable.
- Once we've added it to our system, we'll reply with a list of nameservers.
- Log into the domain registrar where you purchased the domain, set up custom DNS servers using the list we provided. Be sure to remove any other nameservers that may have previously been set.
- Let us know when that's ready, and we'll keep an eye out for it to finish propagating. This process can take up to 72 hours, but is typically done within 24 hours.
That's all you need to do -- once it's done propagating, we can move forward with creating your free SSL certificate and provisioning your site!
Using a subdomain
- Make sure you have access to edit the DNS records for the root domain of the subdomain you'd like to use. For example, if you want to use festival.example.com, you'll need to have access to edit the DNS records for example.com.
- You'll need to create 2 CNAME records: one which aliases the subdomain to our servers, and another for validating the SSL certificate. Email support@filmbot.com and let us know what subdomain you'd like to use. We'll reply with details on the two CNAME records that you need to create.
- Once you've created the 2 CNAME records, reply and let us know, so we can make sure everything was set up properly. If it was, you are all set and we can move forward with creating your free SSL certificate and provisioning your site!