Custom vanity domains
Written by Jon Marks
Updated at May 21st, 2025
Table of Contents
Vanity domains are mandatory
We strongly recommend using a domain you control for all customer-facing content. It gives you more flexibility and ownership, and makes your brand look more professional. You don’t want your readers seeing “pugpig” in a web address, email, or social media link.
To use your own domain, your DNS team will need to make some changes so your domain points to the right place.
Implementing Your Vanity Domain
To get your custom domain working with Pugpig, you’ll need to update your DNS records so that your domain points to our Content Delivery Network (CDN). The exact setup depends on whether you’re using a subdomain or an apex (root) domain.
Subdomains
Using a subdomain like reader.yourdomain.com is common for apps, and has the added benefit of improving your SEO.
What your DNS team needs to do
Create a CNAME record that points your chosen subdomain to pugpig.map.fastly.net.
Example DNS Entry for a single feed:
reader.yourdomain.com 300 IN CNAME pugpig.map.fastly.netExample DNS Entry for multiple feeds:
en.reader.acme.com 300 IN CNAME pugpig.map.fastly.net
fr.reader.acme.com 300 IN CNAME pugpig.map.fastly.netExample wildcard DNS Entry:
*.mydomain.com 300 IN CNAME pugpig.map.fastly.netNote: We support a single vanity domain per app.
Apex Domains
If you prefer to use a domain like yourdomain.com without a subdomain, the setup is slightly different. Since apex domains don’t support CNAME records, you’ll need to use A records (for IPv4) and optionally AAAA records (for IPv6).
What your DNS team needs to do
Add the following A records to your DNS settings:
151.101.1.72
151.101.65.72
151.101.129.72
151.101.193.72For IPv6 support, include these AAAA records:
2a04:4e42::328
2a04:4e42:200::328
2a04:4e42:400::328
2a04:4e42:600::328If you also wish to have a subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com), create a CNAME record:
www.yourdomain.com 300 IN CNAME pugpig.map.fastly.netNote: If both yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com are provided, we will redirect to the www version.
Authentication Domain
If you're using our hosted login and registration screens for PKCE authentication, you'll also need to set up a separate domain specifically for authentication. This should be a different subdomain from your main content domain — for example, auth.yourdomain.com. It must be mapped to pugpig.map.fastly.net in the same way as your content vanity domain, using a CNAME record. Once you've configured this, just let your onboarding contact know which domain you've set up, and we’ll complete the configuration on our side.
HTTPS Certificates
We take care of generating and managing HTTPS certificates for your domain, so your readers always have a secure connection. You can check your domain’s HTTPS setup using tools like SSL Labs’ SSL Test.
CAA Records
If your DNS setup includes CAA records to restrict which certificate providers can issue HTTPS certificates, you’ll need to explicitly allow globalsign.com.
If you’re using a subdomain with a CNAME, the CAA record must go on the parent domain (you can’t have a CAA record and CNAME on the same subdomain).
Example CAA record:
yourdomain.com 300 IN CAA 0 issue "globalsign.com"If your organisation already uses Fastly (great choice!), and the root domain is managed in one of your Fastly services, we’ll need Fastly to delegate the subdomains you want to use to us.
Without this, we won’t be able to register your domain on our system.
Ask your DNS or web team to email support@fastly.com, copying in the Pugpig team, with something like the following. Be sure to include the Pugpig Customer ID: 3RIzR9GCn3aTXou8ZfjUFo — it’s required by Fastly.
Here's an email template you can send:
Dear Fastly Support,
We request the delegation of the following subdomains to Pugpig (Customer ID: 3RIzR9GCn3aTXou8ZfjUFo):
- subdomain1.yourdomain.com
- subdomain2.yourdomain.com
The Pugpig team is cc'd for reference.
Thanks,
[Your Name]Fastly may ask for proof that you own the domain. They’ll usually ask you to add a temporary DNS record, especially if the request doesn’t come from your Fastly account owner.