A naked domain is a root domain that does not contain a subdomain and is also known as apex/base/bare/zone domain. In the DNS provider settings, naked domains are sometimes symbolized by an @ symbol. For example, yourschool.com is a naked domain because it doesn't have any subdomain parts, whereas www.yourschool.com is not a naked domain because it contains the subdomain part www. In other words, the naked domain is the domain you have originally purchased without the "www" or any other subdomains.
Your naked domain can be connected in two ways: with an A record (in order to have an SSL certificate issued by LearnWorlds) or a forwarding feature from your naked domain to your subdomain (with this option the naked domain will not have an SSL certificate). We recommend using an A record in order to have the SSL certificate as well.
A Record
1. To add the A record, log in to your domain provider and navigate to the DNS Settings.
2. Make sure to remove any forwarding feature you may have.
3. Click on the edit button for the existing A record and point it to your school's IP (check below on how to find your school's IP address).
How to find my school's IP address
1. Go to Google Admin Toolbox.
2. Type your LearnWorlds URL free of https:// or / at the end (e.g. academy.learnworlds.com).
3. The IP will appear in Data.
Check if the A record is correct
1. Go to Google Admin Toolbox.
2. Insert your naked domain free of https:// or / at the end (e.g. learnworlds.com or mylearnworlds.com).
3. If the A record is properly created, the school's IP will appear in Target.
4. If the A record is correct, request the domain's change by contacting us at support@learnworlds.com. Your domain will be ready within 24-48 hours of your request.
5. If you face difficulties in adding the A record, you can contact us in order to further assist you.
Forwarding feature
If you do not wish to add an A record, you can proceed with the forwarding feature:
1. Log in to your domain provider and navigate to the DNS Settings/DNS Management.
2. Click on Add in the Forwarding.
3. Type your LearnWorld domain (including www) at the forward to. Make sure to keep the https:// protocol.
4. Save the changes.
If you want to use your naked domain with an SSL certificate, you will need to add an A Record. This would help to avoid warnings for an insecure site when a user tries to load it because of the browser's security settings. This happens because the SSL certificate is issued for domains initially connected to your school. If your naked domain is not connected with an A record, a warning may appear before the forwarding. Contact our support team at support@learnworlds.com with information on your primary domain (subdomain or naked) in order for our development team to finalize the process.
Notes:
- The aforementioned steps are based on GoDaddy. The procedure in other providers may vary, however, these are the basic steps you need to take.
- If the A record currently points to another live website, this change will affect the site and it will not be reachable anymore.
- If you want to use your naked domain along with a subdomain, click here to check the steps.
- If you use CloudFlare as your domain hosting provider, click here.
- You can find more useful information about custom domains here.