domain-redirects

Simple project for setting up DigitalOcean Static Apps for doing domain redirects.

By default, your default install will redirect to https://example.com, but you can change this via routing settings once deployed to DigitalOcean using the button below:

(Small Disclosure Note: I included my refcode into the project setup button above, so if you ever buy anything extra on DigitalOcean, I may get a small credit for my account. However, this project is set up to be ran on the DO Starter Tier, which allows for up to three apps free)

---

You can click "Skip to Review" and then click "Create Resources".

I have made sure to set up everything so that it will use the free starter plan. You may need a Paypal or Credit Card to initially set up a DigitalOcean account, but given this project is configured to use the free starter plan, you should not get charged.

Configuring Domains

This guide expects that you have already linked your domain to DigitalOcean via this page. You can find a guide on how to do this properly here.

Once you have built and deployed the app for the first time (automatically done upon "Creating Resources" or "Building"), you will be taken to the settings screen.

From here, you can edit your domains. Click on the Edit button highlighted in the box below.

Then click "+ Add Domain"

On this page, type in your domain name, confirm your nameserver/record settings are correct in your domain registrar DNS.

If this is your first time setting up domains with DigitalOcean, it may take up to 24-48hrs for DNS propagation. However, you can (and should) continue configuring the project during this window of time.

NOTE: If you aren't using a CNAME based host like Google Sites, remember to also go back and add the www. version of your domain as well.

Configuring Redirects

With your domain records properly set up, you are now ready to set up the routing rules.

Click the "HTTP Routes Redirect" edit button on your settings page to get started.

Once clicked, a new window will appear for setting routing rules.

1. Route Path: This is the location on your domain that triggers the routing. A single slash will mean the base domain will trigger the redirect. You can put other paths here too! Example: if you put /store then going to yourdomain.tld/store will trigger the redirect.
2. Redirect URI: This will be where on the Redirect Authority you should navigate to. If you leave it empty, it will use the value from the first step. If you were redirecting to Twitch, you should put a /CHANNELNAME in this field
3. Redirect Authority: The domain that you would be redirecting to. If you were redirecting to Twitch, this would be a simple twitch.tv
4. If you wanted to add more redirects, say something like yourdomain.tld/store you could do so by adding more routes. Just put /store into the box marked 1.

By default, the redirection scheme will use https. If your target site doesn't support it (a rare case), write in http.

NOTE: REMEMBER TO SAVE AFTER CONFIGURING. Your project may take a bit of time to build once you have done this.

Conclusion

From here on out, you are done. You can always add, modify and remove routes in the future as well.

This project will make your URL redirects always work, even if you use a registrar such as NameCheap, without having to pay for webhosting to handle the redirects (the alternative). As mentioned before, this project qualifies for the DO Starter Tier, which lets you make three apps like this project for free.

Enjoy the good life of having a simple redirection URL for your socials.

---

You can find me on https://wolf.stream or https://wolf.stream/bsky (wolf.stream's redirects uses this project)

You can also support future development efforts via Ko-Fi: