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Domain and Subdomain Setup Guide

This guide explains how to set up custom domains and subdomains for your RapidTriageME deployment, using our docs.rapidtriage.me setup as a real-world example.

Overview

When deploying web applications, you may need to set up: - Primary domain (e.g., rapidtriage.me) - Main application - Subdomains (e.g., docs.rapidtriage.me, api.rapidtriage.me) - Additional services - SSL certificates - Secure HTTPS connections

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have: - Domain registered with a domain registrar - Cloudflare account (free tier works) - GitHub account (for GitHub Pages hosting) - Access to DNS management

Step-by-Step Domain Setup

1. Primary Domain Setup

Step 1.1: Add Domain to Cloudflare

  1. Log in to Cloudflare Dashboard
  2. Click "Add a Site"
  3. Enter your domain (e.g., rapidtriage.me)
  4. Select a plan (Free tier is sufficient)
  5. Cloudflare will scan existing DNS records

Step 1.2: Update Nameservers

  1. Copy the Cloudflare nameservers provided
  2. Go to your domain registrar (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy)
  3. Update nameservers to Cloudflare's: 
    Example:
- elsa.ns.cloudflare.com
- garry.ns.cloudflare.com

Step 1.3: Configure DNS for Primary Domain

For Cloudflare Workers deployment: 

# No A or CNAME record needed for Workers
# Workers use routes configured in wrangler.toml

2. Subdomain Setup (Using docs.rapidtriage.me as Example)

Step 2.1: GitHub Pages Configuration

  1. Create a GitHub repository for your documentation
  2. Enable GitHub Pages in repository settings
  3. Add a CNAME file to your site root: 
    docs.rapidtriage.me

Step 2.2: Cloudflare DNS Configuration

Create a CNAME record with proxy enabled:

# Using Cloudflare API
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/YOUR_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "type": "CNAME",
    "name": "docs",
    "content": "yourusername.github.io",
    "ttl": 1,
    "proxied": true
  }'

Or via Cloudflare Dashboard: 1. Go to DNS settings 2. Add record: - Type: CNAME - Name: docs - Target: yourusername.github.io - Proxy status: Proxied (Orange cloud ON)

3. SSL Configuration

Step 3.1: Cloudflare SSL Settings

  1. Navigate to SSL/TLS settings
  2. Set encryption mode to Full
  3. Enable "Always Use HTTPS"

Step 3.2: Fix SSL Certificate Issues

If you encounter SSL certificate errors (like *.github.io certificate showing):

#!/bin/bash
# fix-subdomain-ssl.sh

ZONE_ID="your_zone_id"
API_TOKEN="your_api_token"
SUBDOMAIN="docs"
TARGET="yourusername.github.io"

# Remove existing non-proxied record
curl -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/${ZONE_ID}/dns_records?name=${SUBDOMAIN}.yourdomain.com" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  | jq -r '.result[].id' \
  | xargs -I {} curl -X DELETE "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/${ZONE_ID}/dns_records/{}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}"

# Create new proxied record
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/${ZONE_ID}/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "type": "CNAME",
    "name": "'${SUBDOMAIN}'",
    "content": "'${TARGET}'",
    "ttl": 1,
    "proxied": true
  }'

Complete Deployment Process for New Domain

Phase 1: Domain Registration & Setup

1. Register domain at registrar
2. Add domain to Cloudflare
3. Update nameservers to Cloudflare
4. Wait for DNS propagation (5-48 hours)

Phase 2: Application Deployment

1. Configure wrangler.toml with domain routes
2. Deploy Worker application
3. Set up environment variables
4. Test deployment

Phase 3: Subdomain Configuration

1. Create subdomain DNS records
2. Enable Cloudflare proxy for SSL
3. Configure target service (GitHub Pages, etc.)
4. Verify SSL certificates

Real-World Example: RapidTriageME Setup

Here's exactly how we configured RapidTriageME:

Main Application (rapidtriage.me)

wrangler.toml configuration: 

[[env.production.routes]]
pattern = "rapidtriage.me/*"
zone_id = "dba0cbc72f7f0b7727fbdb6f4d6d7901"

[[env.production.routes]]
pattern = "www.rapidtriage.me/*"
zone_id = "dba0cbc72f7f0b7727fbdb6f4d6d7901"

Deployment command: 

wrangler deploy --env production

Documentation Site (docs.rapidtriage.me)

DNS Configuration: - Type: CNAME - Name: docs - Content: yarlisaisolutions.github.io - Proxy: Enabled (Orange cloud) - SSL: Full encryption

GitHub Pages Setup: 1. Repository: YarlisAISolutions/rapidtriageME 2. Branch: gh-pages or main 3. CNAME file: docs.rapidtriage.me

Automated Deployment Script

Create a complete deployment script for new domains:

#!/bin/bash
# deploy-new-domain.sh

# Configuration
DOMAIN="yournewdomain.com"
SUBDOMAIN="docs"
GITHUB_USER="yourusername"
CLOUDFLARE_EMAIL="[email protected]"
CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY="your_api_key"

# Step 1: Add domain to Cloudflare
echo "Adding domain to Cloudflare..."
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones" \
  -H "X-Auth-Email: ${CLOUDFLARE_EMAIL}" \
  -H "X-Auth-Key: ${CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"name":"'${DOMAIN}'","jump_start":true}'

# Step 2: Get Zone ID
ZONE_ID=$(curl -s -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones?name=${DOMAIN}" \
  -H "X-Auth-Email: ${CLOUDFLARE_EMAIL}" \
  -H "X-Auth-Key: ${CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY}" \
  | jq -r '.result[0].id')

echo "Zone ID: ${ZONE_ID}"

# Step 3: Configure DNS for subdomain
echo "Setting up ${SUBDOMAIN}.${DOMAIN}..."
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/${ZONE_ID}/dns_records" \
  -H "X-Auth-Email: ${CLOUDFLARE_EMAIL}" \
  -H "X-Auth-Key: ${CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "type": "CNAME",
    "name": "'${SUBDOMAIN}'",
    "content": "'${GITHUB_USER}'.github.io",
    "ttl": 1,
    "proxied": true
  }'

# Step 4: Configure SSL
curl -X PATCH "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/${ZONE_ID}/settings/ssl" \
  -H "X-Auth-Email: ${CLOUDFLARE_EMAIL}" \
  -H "X-Auth-Key: ${CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"value":"full"}'

echo "Domain setup complete!"

Troubleshooting Common Issues

SSL Certificate Errors

Problem: Browser shows "Not Secure" or wrong certificate Solution: 1. Ensure Cloudflare proxy is enabled (orange cloud) 2. Set SSL mode to "Full" 3. Wait 5-15 minutes for propagation 4. Clear browser cache

DNS Not Resolving

Problem: Domain doesn't load Solution: 1. Check nameservers are pointing to Cloudflare 2. Verify DNS records in Cloudflare dashboard 3. Use nslookup or dig to test: 

nslookup yourdomain.com
dig yourdomain.com

GitHub Pages 404 Error

Problem: Subdomain shows 404 Solution: 1. Verify CNAME file in repository 2. Check GitHub Pages is enabled in settings 3. Ensure branch and folder settings are correct 4. Wait 10 minutes for GitHub Pages deployment

Mixed Content Warnings

Problem: HTTPS site loading HTTP resources Solution: 1. Enable "Automatic HTTPS Rewrites" in Cloudflare 2. Update all resource URLs to use HTTPS 3. Check for hardcoded HTTP URLs in code

Best Practices

  1. Always use Cloudflare proxy for SSL certificates
  2. Set up monitoring for domain expiration
  3. Document DNS configurations for team reference
  4. Use environment variables for domain-specific settings
  5. Test in staging before production deployment
  6. Keep DNS records minimal and organized
  7. Enable DNSSEC for additional security
  8. Set up email routing for domain emails

Quick Reference Commands

# Check DNS propagation
nslookup yourdomain.com 8.8.8.8

# Test SSL certificate
openssl s_client -connect yourdomain.com:443 -servername yourdomain.com

# Check HTTP headers
curl -I https://yourdomain.com

# Verify CNAME record
dig CNAME subdomain.yourdomain.com

# Test from different locations
curl -I https://yourdomain.com --resolve yourdomain.com:443:104.21.22.49

Next Steps

After setting up your domain: 1. Configure monitoring and alerts 2. Set up backup DNS records 3. Implement CDN caching rules 4. Configure firewall rules 5. Set up analytics tracking

This guide is based on the actual deployment of RapidTriageME and its documentation site. Follow these exact steps for reliable domain configuration.