Deployment 10 min read Beginner Guide

Free Domain for Vercel: Complete Setup Guide

Learn how to configure your is-pro.dev free subdomain with Vercel deployments. Step-by-step instructions for custom domains, DNS setup, and SSL.

Written by Mayank Baswal

Founder of is-cool-me · DNS & Platform Infrastructure

Mayank Baswal maintains the is-cool-me platform and writes technical guides focused on DNS configuration, subdomain infrastructure, SSL troubleshooting, deployment workflows, and platform reliability.

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Free Domain for Vercel: Complete Setup Guide

Deploying your project to Vercel is quick, but pointing a custom domain to it can feel daunting — especially when you do not want to pay for a domain name. With is-pro.dev, you get a free subdomain that works perfectly with Vercel. This guide walks you through every step of connecting your free subdomain to your Vercel project.

Why Use a Custom Domain with Vercel?

Vercel provides a generous free tier and automatic *.vercel.app domains for every deployment. However, custom domains offer several advantages: they look more professional, build trust with your users, and are easier to remember. A subdomain like myproject.is-pro.dev gives you the credibility of a real domain without any cost.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • A GitHub account (for signing into is-pro.dev)
  • A project deployed on Vercel
  • Your Vercel project's target domain (e.g., myproject.vercel.app)
  • Basic familiarity with DNS records

Step 1: Register Your Free Subdomain

Go to dash.is-pro.dev and sign in with your GitHub account. Once signed in, you will see the registration form. Enter your desired subdomain name and select is-pro.dev as your zone. Choose a name that reflects your project — for example, if your project is called "Weather App," register weather-app.is-pro.dev. Click register and your subdomain will be created within seconds. Cloudflare handles the DNS infrastructure, so propagation is nearly instant.

Step 2: Add a CNAME Record

Vercel requires a CNAME record pointing www or your root domain to cname.vercel-dns.com. In the DNS management section of your dashboard, add a new CNAME record with your subdomain as the name and cname.vercel-dns.com as the target. If you want both www and the bare subdomain to work, add a second CNAME record for www pointing to the same target.

Step 3: Configure Your Vercel Project

Open your project dashboard on Vercel and navigate to Settings → Domains. Enter your full subdomain (e.g., myproject.is-pro.dev) and click Add. Vercel will automatically verify the DNS configuration. This usually takes a few seconds, but DNS propagation can occasionally take up to a few minutes. If Vercel shows a "pending" status, wait a moment and refresh.

Step 4: Enable SSL

Vercel and Cloudflare both provide free SSL certificates. If you are proxying through Cloudflare (orange cloud in DNS settings), Cloudflare handles SSL automatically. If you are using DNS-only mode (gray cloud), Vercel provisions a Let's Encrypt certificate for your domain. In either case, your site will be served over HTTPS with no extra configuration needed.

Step 5: Verify Your Setup

Visit your new domain in a browser. You should see your Vercel-deployed site loading with a valid SSL certificate. Check that both the bare subdomain and www variants work if you configured them. You can also run curl -I https://your-subdomain.is-pro.dev from the terminal to verify that Vercel's headers are being returned.

Common Pitfalls

DNS not propagating: If your domain is not working after 15 minutes, double-check that the CNAME record is correct. The value must be exactly cname.vercel-dns.com with no trailing period or spaces.

SSL certificate not provisioning: Vercel issues certificates automatically, but this can take up to 30 minutes in rare cases. If you are proxying through Cloudflare, enable Full (Strict) SSL mode in the Cloudflare dashboard.

Domain already in use: Each is-pro.dev subdomain is unique. If your desired name is taken, try a variation like adding "app" or "io" as a prefix or suffix.

Pro Tips

If you are using Next.js with Vercel, consider enabling Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) for pages that do not change frequently. This reduces server load and improves response times. For API routes, Vercel Edge Functions are ideal for low-latency global responses. Monitor your deployment in the Vercel dashboard under Analytics to track custom domain traffic separately.

FAQ

Q: Can I use this with Vercel's team/enterprise plans?

A: Yes, the same process works for all Vercel plans. Team and enterprise projects may have additional custom domain options.

Q: Will my SSL certificate be free?

A: Yes. Both Vercel and Cloudflare provide free, auto-renewing SSL certificates.

Q: How long does DNS propagation take?

A: Most changes propagate within minutes. Cloudflare's global anycast network ensures fast propagation worldwide.

Q: Can I use my own apex domain instead?

A: If you own a custom domain, you can use it with Vercel too. But is-pro.dev subdomains are free and require no recurring payments.

Q: Can I use multiple is-pro.dev subdomains with one Vercel project?

A: Yes, Vercel supports adding multiple domains to a single project. Each domain must have its own CNAME record pointing to cname.vercel-dns.com.

Q: Does Vercel automatic HTTPS work with Cloudflare proxy?

A: Yes. When Cloudflare proxy is enabled (orange cloud), Cloudflare handles the SSL certificate. Set SSL/TLS mode to Full (Strict) for end-to-end encryption.

Conclusion

Connecting your free is-pro.dev subdomain to Vercel takes just a few minutes and costs nothing. You get the benefits of a custom domain — professional appearance, better SEO, and user trust — without the annual renewal fees. Start by registering your subdomain, add a CNAME record, configure it in Vercel, and you are live. Happy shipping!