Navigating Custom Domains in Laravel Vapor

The Cloudflare Advantage for API Gateway v2

Choosing a DNS strategy often depends on your underlying infrastructure. If you use API Gateway v2 for its speed and cost-effectiveness, Cloudflare becomes a powerful ally. API Gateway v2 does not natively handle the redirection from HTTP to HTTPS. By keeping Cloudflare as your external provider, you can manage that secure handshake at the edge, ensuring users always land on the encrypted version of your site without extra code.

Managing Subdomains and Root Domains

A common point of confusion is whether you can register a single subdomain without touching the root. Laravel Vapor requires the root domain to create a unified hosted zone. This isn't just bureaucracy; it allows Laravel Vapor to issue a single, auto-renewing wildcard SSL certificate. This certificate covers the root, subdomains, and any wildcards you define in your configuration file, drastically simplifying your security overhead.

Safe Imports for Existing AWS Records

If you already have a hosted zone in your AWS account, Laravel Vapor won't destroy your hard work. When you add an existing domain, Laravel Vapor imports the current records into its internal database. It leaves your existing entries untouched, only adding new records necessary for SSL certificate validation or deployment routing. It behaves as a surgical tool, not a wrecking ball.