# Connect a custom domain from AWS Route 53

Your domain is managed in Amazon Route 53. The record goes inside your domain's "hosted zone", where all of its DNS settings live.

## Steps

1. Open the Route 53 console and sign in to your AWS account (use an account that can edit DNS).
2. In the left navigation pane, choose **Hosted zones**.
3. On the **Hosted zones** page, click the name of the hosted zone for your domain.
4. Click the orange **Create record** button on the right.
5. If a step-by-step wizard opens, click **Switch to quick create** for the simple form.
6. Leave the routing policy as **Simple routing** (the default).
7. In **Record name**, type only the label Droply gave you (for example `www`), or leave it empty for the root domain.
8. Open the **Record type** dropdown and pick the type Droply shows you (**CNAME**, or **TXT**).
9. In the **Value** field, paste the target Droply shows you (the one above).
10. You can leave **TTL (seconds)** at its default; lowering it to `300` makes changes show up faster.
11. Click **Create records** at the bottom right, and repeat for any second record.

## Notes

- **Record name = label only.** Route 53 adds your domain automatically, so enter just `www`, not `www.yourdomain.com`. For the root domain itself, leave the field empty.
- The root domain cannot use a plain CNAME (a DNS rule). If Droply asks for a root CNAME, point a subdomain like `www` instead, or contact us about an alternative.
- If you do not see a **hosted zone** for your domain, your DNS is managed elsewhere; add the record there instead.
- Make sure you are editing a **Public hosted zone**, not a Private one.
- Changes usually reach Route 53 within about 60 seconds, but can take longer to be visible everywhere.