How it works
Choose a name, review your rental rights, and connect your hosting.
Choose your scope
A shared root includes the domain and www. A subdomain branch includes your chosen subdomain and its descendants. An exclusive rental includes the root and all subdomains, except protected service records. Registration stays with the holder.
Request your rental
Review the exact hostname, scope, monthly total and optional email DNS. Send your request and track the response in your dashboard. A request does not reserve the name or start billing. Review and accept the final offer before payment and activation.
Connect your hosting
After payment is verified and the rental activates, add your hosting provider’s records in your permitted DNS controls. Your provider must accept the exact hostname. Returning from checkout does not verify payment. DNS application, HTTPS, and a working website are checked separately.
Manage your rental
Manage DNS, billing, and invoices from your account. Cancel future monthly renewals anytime and retain owed paid-through access. Continuing beyond the protected term requires confirmed coverage and a next-term offer. Price changes require acceptance before charging.
Check your host before renting
Your host needs to support custom domains or subdomains and the records required for your chosen scope. DNS controls accept standard A, AAAA, CNAME, restricted TXT, and relevant email records with a paid add-on. Shared-parent ownership-verification records may be restricted because they can grant control over other renters.
On shared roots, parent-wide certificate policy stays with openlaunch. Root DMARC must include sp=none and cannot impose a restrictive np policy on other branches. A CNAME cannot share the same hostname with MX or TXT records. If you need root email, use a compatible hosting setup rather than adding conflicting records.
Shared parent domains also carry browser and tenant-isolation considerations, including cookies and parent-domain ownership checks. Use reviewed connection methods; compatibility with every host or application is not guaranteed. Read the rental terms before reserving.
Email DNS is optional
The paid email DNS add-on configures one exact mail domain through your external provider. It includes supporting SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records within your rental’s record allowance. Mailboxes and email hosting are separate. The add-on covers one exact mail domain, not every descendant. Separate subdomains can use separate providers when their DNS scopes and entitlements permit it.
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