Hostname Setup

For every website configured in the CP-Commerce Admin Applet, it is possible for our users to configure the multiple cloudfront distributions and each cloudfront distribution is linked to a certain hostnames that allow the web browser to visit these websites.

Platform Sub-Domain

A platform sub-domain for each website is constructed with the following format:

  • website-code.tenant-code.akaun.net (for production environment)

  • website-code.tenant-code.akaun.app (for staging environment)

  • website-code.tenant-code.akaun.xyz (for development environment)

When you first starting a website, by default, the akaun platform would create the following hostname automatically for you using combination of tenant-code and website code. For example, if your tenant code is "mytenant" and your website code is "resellers", the CP-Commerce would create the hostname as resellers.mytenant.akaun.net.

This sub-domain provided by Akaun platform would be powered up immediately, so that the users of a website could visit the website right away. As the "akaun.net" DNS is hosted by us, no domain name verification or CNAME is required on your side.

Technical Background

This section is only meant for technical readers that would like to dig into the AWS cloudfront technical details of how things work:

Discussion with Tuan on Cloudfront configurations

We make use of DNS validation as follows: AWS Certificate Manager - DNS Validation

You may watch the following guide to get some basic understanding of DNS:

DNS Records for Newbies - How To Manage Website Records
DNS Records
CNAME vs A Record

Transition and configuration of custom domain names

Assuming your company owns "mydomain.com", and you would like to implement the cp-commerce. But during the implementation, you would like to configure a temporary custom sub-domain and use it, before you make use of the top level domain name, to point to the cp-commerce website as follows:

  • https://newstore.mydomain.com/
    This sub-domain "estore" would be used for the time being, while the current website is still life and being used (Let’s say, https://mydomain.com/ and https://www.mydomain.com). This temporary hostname could be configured in advanced.

  • https://mydomain.com/
    After the new website implementation is completed, and when we are ready to launch the new website, we would be getting ready to retire the old website , and configure this second hostname just like the "newstore.mydomain.com" to go live.

Custom Sub-domain

At this time, the hostname can be created by the Platform SysAdmin only, using the Platform SysAdmin applet.

In future, we may allow hostname to be created under using 2 approach:

  • Platform SysAdmin Applet

  • CP-Commerce Admin Applet

The very first step of creating a sub-domain is to perform ACM validation. You will be given the following:

ACM Validation DNS Record

  • Record Type: CNAME

  • Record Name: _7760b3c88f1556jjjjjjjjjjjjj.mydomain.com

  • Record Value: _80fb2b1ef05e7xxxxxxxxxxx.yyyyyyyyyyy.acm-validations.aws.

You are required to add the above into your DNS Record.

After you have completed the validation of the ACM certificate, the next step is to create and configure your custom sub-domain to point to the CloudFront Distribution.

Sub-domain CNAME forwarding

  • Record Type: CNAME

  • Record Name: sub-domain-name.mydomain.com

  • Record Value: xxxxxxxxx.cloudfront.net

That’s it, nothing more, all you need to do next is to visit https://sub-domain-name.mydomain.com