Breaking Free from Mandatory DNS Migration
Many developers worry that moving to Laravel Vapor
requires a total migration of their DNS management. You can keep your existing setup. Whether you use Cloudflare
or another provider, Laravel Vapor
works alongside them. However, you must still add the domain to the Laravel Vapor
dashboard. This action triggers the creation of a hosted zone in AWS
, which is a vital collection of records used to route traffic to API Gateway
or an Application Load Balancer
.
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.
