Publishing a site written in Markdown is one of the easiest ways to get your writing online. You focus on your content and the platform handles everything else. Most people eventually reach the point where they want their own custom domain. A domain adds trust, helps with long term branding, and gives your site a link that feels more permanent.
If you are new to static site setup, this guide will walk you through how custom domains work, what you need before you start, and how to connect your domain to your hosted.md site.
Why use a custom domain for a Markdown site
A custom domain acts as your online identity. It is the name people type into their browser and it is the address you share across social platforms. hosted.md gives you a site URL by default, but your own domain offers clear advantages:
- A more memorable name for your site
- Better long term branding
- Trust signals for visitors and search engines
- Freedom to move between platforms without breaking public links
If you have a domain already, you can connect it to your hosted.md site in a short amount of time.
What you need before you start
Make sure you have the following:
- A hosted.md site that is ready to publish
- A registered domain name from any provider
- Access to your DNS settings
You do not need separate hosting or SSL certificates. hosted.md provides those automatically once the domain is connected.
How custom domains work with static sites
Static sites on hosted.md are served from a global CDN. Updates are handled by the platform and your content is delivered quickly to visitors around the world.
Your domain acts as the entry point. When you point your domain to the hosted.md IP address, any visitor who types your domain will land on your site. DNS handles this connection. You set it once and the change stays active.
Step by step: Connect your custom domain to hosted.md
Connecting a domain only takes a few minutes.
1. Open your site settings in hosted.md
Log in to your dashboard and choose the site you want to connect. Look for the Custom Domain section. You will see a field to add your domain and the A record you need to create.
2. Enter your domain
Add your domain in the field. You can use the root domain, the www version, or both. hosted.md supports either setup.
3. Copy the A record details
hosted.md will show the IP address your domain needs to point to. This address is the same for all sites. Make sure to copy it exactly.
4. Add the A record to your registrar
Go to your domain registrar and open the DNS settings.
Add a new A record:
- Name: either the root symbol or the subdomain you want
- Value: the IP address shown in hosted.md
- TTL: you can leave this on the default value
If there are older A records for the same name, remove them so no conflicts remain.
5. Allow DNS time to update
DNS normally updates within a short time, although some providers can take longer. hosted.md will start checking for your record as soon as it is created. Once the record is detected, the domain will activate. SSL will be issued automatically so your site loads securely over HTTPS.
6. Visit your domain
When the setup is complete, your Markdown site will appear at your custom domain. You can keep publishing content and the domain will remain linked without further action.
Troubleshooting common issues
If your domain does not connect at first, try the following checks:
- Confirm that the A record points to the correct IP address
- Remove any older DNS records for the same host name
- Check that your registrar is not forwarding the domain to another address
- Give DNS a little more time to refresh
hosted.md will show connection status inside your dashboard so you can see what still needs attention.
What to expect after the domain is connected
Once your domain is active, you can continue working with Markdown as usual. hosted.md builds your static pages and serves them through the CDN. Your domain stays linked to the latest version of your site. There is no need to update DNS again unless you choose a different domain in the future.
Final thoughts
Connecting a custom domain is one of the best steps you can take when publishing a Markdown site. The process is quick, you only need to do it once, and your site gains a stronger identity from the start.
If you already have a hosted.md site, you can add your domain in your dashboard now. If you are just getting started, create a site and explore how simple it is to publish Markdown on your own address.