Domain parking

You can work directly with the affiliate network site storage, but it is recommended that you use your own separate domains. Work with your domains is carried out in the "Domain parking" subsection of the "Traffic" section.

To park a domain and use it in flows and split tests, do the following:

  1. Add the domain to the system. To do this, go to the "Domains parking" section of your personal account and enter the full name of your domain in the "Domain" field of the required type. You don't need to specify www, and you don't need to use http:// either.
  2. Configure domain DNS servers. This action is performed in the personal account of your domain registrar. In the DNS settings of the domain, specify the use of free DNS of your registrar. If your registrar does not provide free DNS, we recommend using CloudFlare, the settings are shown below.
  3. Configure your domain's DNS zone. This action is also performed on the side of your registrar or CloudFlare. Go to the DNS zone editor in the registrar's personal account (do not confuse it with setting up DNS servers, you just need to set up a DNS zone).
    • Remove any existing A, AAAA, and CNAME records that point to the domain you want. For the root domain, their name will be @ or the domain name, for a subdomain, respectively, the name of the subdomain.
    • Add a new record of type A with this name and value which is shown in parked domains section
    • Do not add these entries for the www subdomain as its use is not supported.
  4. Wait for the end of the domain binding. Depending on various conditions, including the phase of the moon and the strength of the torsion fields, domain binding can take from several minutes to three days. You can check if the domain is linked by clicking the "Check" button.

The table of parked domains will show the current binding status. It is recommended to start working with traffic only if "Active" is indicated in the "Status" column. Within a few hours after the domain status changes to "Active", it receives an SSL certificate. A domain with an active SSL certificate gets a padlock in its name. You can speed up the domain check process by clicking the "Check" button (press no more than once every 15 minutes).

Disclaimer: in the list of parked domains, the dates of registration and expiration of domains are indicated for reference, as well as a check mark for checking the status of the domain. They have no effect on performance and are not supported for all domain zones. The absence of a green check mark in the "Created" column is not an error.

Glue the domain

Your parked domains can be glued to flows or split tests. To glue a domain, click the "Glue" button in the list, and select the desired flow or split test. You can also glue a domain directly from the flow or split test settings. To unglue a domain, simply select an empty option in the glue list. The glue and unglue process can take a few minutes.

Domain verification

Some ad networks require domain verification to work. As confirmation, they ask you to place some file with a strange name and no less strange content in the root of the domain.

Adding a file manually

  1. Go to the "Domain verification" section and click "Add".
  2. Select the domain to which you want to add the verification file.
  3. Enter the full name in the "File" field.
  4. Enter the content in the "Code" field.
  5. Click "Create".

Add downloaded file

  1. Go to the "Domain verification" section and click "Upload".
  2. Select the domain to which you want to add the verification file.
  3. Select a file on your computer and click "Upload". The file will be created with the same name that is used on your computer.

Features of parking in CloudFlare

CloudFlare provides ideal DNS servers for your domains. When working with this service, there are two configuration options that require the following preparation:

  1. Sign up for CloudFlare. Don't buy a paid or premium subscription, you won't need it.
  2. Add your domain to CloudFlare. To do this, use the "Add a Site" button on the main page of your CloudFlare personal account. When adding, select a free plan. You don't need a paid subscription.
  3. Enter DNS CloudFlare for your domain. When adding a site, CloudFlare will prompt you to change your domain's DNS servers to yours. This is done in the personal account of your domain registrar.
  4. Configure your domain's DNS zone. This action is also performed on the CloudFlare side. Go to the DNS zone editor in your personal account.
    • Remove any existing A, AAAA, and CNAME records that point to the domain you want. For the root domain, their name will be @ or the domain name, for a subdomain, respectively, the name of the subdomain.
    • Add a new record of type A with this name and value which is shown in parked domains section
    • Do not add these entries for the www subdomain as its use is not supported.

CloudFlare as DNS server

With this setting, you use CloudFlare as your DNS provider. This allows you to forward domains directly to the AlterCPA One server. In the DNS records section of CloudFlare, the "DNS Only" mode must be enabled instead of "Proxied". No other settings are required.

CloudFlare as proxy

With this configuration option, all traffic is passed through the CloudFlare service and caching must be disabled.

  1. Configure your domain's DNS zone. Make sure that the added record has the DNS and HTTP proxy status selected (red cloud with an arrow through and through), and not DNS only (gray cloud with a bypass arrow).
  2. Set up encryption. Go to the SSL/TLS section of your domain settings and specify the following settings:
    • SSL: Flexible
    • Always use HTTPS: On (if you need HTTPS support)
    • Automatic HTTPS Rewrites: On (if you need HTTPS support)
    Leave the rest of the parameters unchanged.
  3. Set up protection. Go to the Security section and set the Security level to Essentially Off.