What is a Domain?
A domain is a human-readable name attached to an IP address.
IP Address (hard)
142.250.207.14 Hard to remember, changes when servers change
Domain (easy)
google.com Easy to remember, stays the same even if IP changes
URL Structure Breakdown
Beginner practical checklist
- Choose a purchased domain or a free subdomain first.
- Add DNS records in Cloudflare.
- Propagation may take from minutes to hours.
- If it fails, verify DNS value, proxy setting, and cache in order.
DNS Record Types
DNS (Domain Name System) is a system that translates domains into IP addresses. There are several types of records:
Address Record
Maps a domain to an IPv4 address.
myapp.com → 192.168.1.1Canonical Name
Maps a domain to another domain (alias).
www.myapp.com → myapp.com
api.myapp.com → myapp.pages.devText Record
Stores text information. Mainly used for domain ownership verification.
_verification.myapp.com → "google-site-verification=abc123"Comparing Domain Registrars
Cloudflare
At-cost pricing, free DNS/CDN included
registrar.cloudflare.com →Namecheap
Wide range of TLDs, reasonable pricing
namecheap.com →Gabia
Korean language support, .kr domains
gabia.com →Free domains?
Cloudflare Pages, Vercel, Netlify, and others provide free subdomains.
Example: myapp.pages.dev
This is sufficient when you are just getting started.
Hands-on: Connecting a Domain with Cloudflare
1. Change Nameservers
Change the nameservers at your domain registrar to Cloudflare.
# Cloudflare nameserver example
ns1.cloudflare.com
ns2.cloudflare.com2. Add DNS Records
Add DNS records in the Cloudflare dashboard.
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME | @ | myapp.pages.dev |
| CNAME | www | myapp.pages.dev |
3. SSL/TLS Configuration
Set SSL/TLS encryption to "Full (strict)" in Cloudflare. HTTPS will be automatically enabled.
Next Steps
If your domain setup is complete, let's deploy a frontend app next. In Cycle 2: Frontend Deployment, you will learn how to deploy a React app to Cloudflare Pages.