Email & DNS settings

Setup a custom domain on Forma Cloud

Forma Cloud platforms come with a default domain name like "myproject.forma.cloud", but you may want to use:

• one or more custom domains of your own. like myacademy.com, and point it to your platform
• one or more custom email addresses based on your domain, like "training@myacademy.com"

How to set a custom domain

To allow this you will need to configure some "DNS Records" with your domain registrar.

1. Register the domain or subdomain with your service provider
2. Open a ticket writing to helpdesk@formafarm.com, indicate the domain name you wish to use
3. We will add the certificate, and send you the records to be configured on your domain provider service within 24 hours
4. Insert the records and let us know for a final check

Always backup your existing DNS settings before making any changes.

About DNS for Forma Cloud

What are DNS Records?

DNS records are like the internet's "phone book" that tells browsers and email services where to find your website and how to manage your email. Each record has a name, type, and value that indicates where to point.

Why Are These Records Needed?

Your web infrastructure is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the most secure and reliable clouds in the world. These DNS records are used to:

✅ Authorize AWS to manage your domain
✅ Verify that you actually own the domain
✅ Allow Amazon to activate security and email services

In essence, you're "telling" AWS, "Yes, I own this domain and I authorize you to manage it." Without this authorization, Amazon cannot activate the SSL certificate or email services for security reasons.

Required DNS Records

In order to have everything working fine with your custom domain and email addresses, you will need to configure the following DNS records on your domain service provider

1. SSL  Certificate - For website security

What it does: Allows your site to have "the green padlock" (HTTPS protocol) in the browser address bar for security

Examples:

2. WEBSITE POINTING - Where Your Website Is Located

What it does: Tells browsers where to find your website when someone types in your domain.

Examples:

Note: we are providing 2 different IP addresses to grant maximum service reliability through our balancer

3. EMAIL VALIDATION - To Send Authenticated Emails from your platform

What it does: Allows your system to send emails that don't end up in spam.

Examples:

Further (important) Information

Propagation and verification time

DNS changes can take 4 to 48 hours to take effect worldwide.

After 24 hours, verify that the site is reachable and displays the SSL padlock in the browser.

Recommended Configuration Order

This is the recommended order to follow when setting up Forma Cloud DNS records on your provider service:

1. First A records (site points)
2. Then CNAME records for SSL
3. Finally DKIM records for email

Unavailability of the custom domain

In any case your custom domain should not work for some reason (issues with your provider, misconfigurations, expired domain) the default *.forma.cloud domain will always be available

Still having trouble with DNS records?

Most DNS providers (Aruba, Register, GoDaddy, OVH, etc.) offer free support for configuring DNS records. Open a support ticket from your control panel and attach this guide—they'll usually do it in minutes!