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Generating an SSL certificate

Serving your Help Center on your own domain — something like docs.your-company.com — makes it feel native to your brand and more trustworthy to visitors. To do that safely, the domain needs a valid SSL certificate so the portal loads over HTTPS. This page explains how a custom domain is connected and secured.

Self-hosted Localcom deployments

In a self-hosted ChannelX environment you are responsible for issuing and renewing your own SSL certificates and for managing DNS. The steps below describe the overall workflow; coordinate the certificate and renewal process with whoever manages your infrastructure.

How the workflow fits together

At a high level, three things have to line up:

  1. You tell ChannelX which custom domain to use, in the portal settings.
  2. You point that domain at the server with a DNS record, which proves the domain is yours.
  3. A valid SSL certificate is issued for the domain so traffic is encrypted.

Once all three are in place, the portal goes live at your custom address over HTTPS.

Step 1: Add the custom domain in portal settings

Open the Help Center you want to connect, go to its Settings, and find the Custom Domain section. Add the domain where customers should reach your documentation, for example docs.yourdomain.com. This is the address visitors will type to read your articles.

Step 2: Point your domain with a DNS record

Your domain needs to resolve to the ChannelX server. This is normally done with a CNAME record at your DNS provider, mapping the subdomain (such as docs) to your ChannelX host.

The exact host and target values depend on your deployment, so use the values shown in your own settings rather than copying an example. The process is similar across providers — Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, and others all expose a DNS section where you add a CNAME record.

If you use Cloudflare

Set the SSL/TLS encryption mode to Full so Cloudflare and ChannelX agree on how to encrypt traffic. A mismatched mode is a common cause of redirect or certificate errors.

DNS changes are not always instant. Depending on the provider, propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to a day or two.

Step 3: Issue and verify the SSL certificate

With the domain pointed correctly, the certificate can be issued for it. In a self-hosted setup this is typically handled by your certificate tooling and reverse proxy; in a managed setup it may be issued for you once the domain is verified.

You can watch the status from the dashboard:

  • Awaiting verification — the domain setup is still being confirmed.
  • Error — something is off, often an incorrect CNAME record or DNS that hasn't propagated yet. Check the details next to the status to see what to fix.
  • Live — verification succeeded and the certificate is active. Your Help Center is now securely available at the custom domain.

Common questions

My status is stuck on "Awaiting verification" — what should I check? Confirm the CNAME record's host and target exactly match what your settings show, and give DNS time to propagate. A small typo or a record on the wrong subdomain will block verification.

Do I need to renew the certificate? Certificates expire and must be renewed. In a self-hosted deployment, make sure renewal is automated or scheduled so the portal never falls back to an untrusted connection.