Domain Connect and Automatic DNS Setup

Last updated on June 6th, 2023

Domain Connect is an open source tool that allows WP Engine to update DNS records on your behalf when using a supported DNS provider. This tool makes it easy to point your DNS records to WP Engine!

Additionally, WP Engine can now order an SSL, update your primary domain in WordPress and even run a search and replace all on your behalf. This process ensures your website is ready to use faster and easier.

If you add a domain registered with one of the supported providers, you will automatically see the workflow outlined below after adding your domain to the User Portal.

Contents hide

1 Supported DNS Providers

2 Domain Connect Process

3 Domain Connect Logs

4 Common Issues

5 Additional Information

Supported DNS Providers

1&1
Cloudflare
GoDaddy
IONOS
SecureServer
More coming soon!

Domain Connect Process

Triggering the Domain Connect process only requires having a supported DNS provider, then simply adding the domain to WP Engine’s User Portal.

If your DNS provider is not supported by Domain Connect, you will not see the prompt shown below and will instead need to point DNS manually.

Domain Connect can be access in two ways from the Domains page in the User Portal.

Option 1: During the initial Add Domain process

Option 2: Viewing the Go to point DNS page

The Domain Connect feature will look like the following:

A link to the DNS provider will be provided. Clicking this link will prompt you to log in with your DNS provider and authorize WP Engine to create DNS records on your behalf.

After updating DNS you will be returned to the WP Engine Domains page and DNS will begin to propagate the change throughout the internet. Propagation can be tracked on a site such as WhatsMyDNS.net. Once propagation has completed, the site is officially “live” on WP Engine and any visitor to the domain will direct to your WP Engine website.

Learn what to do after pointing DNS here.

Domain Connect Logs

You can view the Account Activity in the User Portal to see if a domain has successfully or unsuccessfully used Domain Connect to configure DNS settings.

Domain Connect actions will be logged like the following example:

Common Issues

If you are having trouble with using the automated Domain Connect system, check the following:

Did you complete the entire process?
- You should have seen a login page for your domain provider. The login page would have asked for your username and password. After submitting those details, you should have been redirected back to WP Engine. If this doesn’t sound familiar, try again and be sure to complete the entire process.
Did you use the right credentials?
- While using Domain Connect, you will need to use your login credentials for your DNS provider. Verify that you have the correct username and password. You can do this by going to your DNS provider directly and logging in there. If your credentials are incorrect, you will need to use your DNS providers “Reset Password” functionality. Once completed, try using Domain Connect again using your username and new password.
Did you log in to the right DNS account?
- The username you use for Domain Connect to login to your DNS provider must own the domain name you are adding to WP Engine. You can verify this by logging into your DNS provider and checking if the domain exists for that user. If not, you will have to determine what user owns the domain and use those credentials instead.

Additional Information

Domain Connect currently works with a few DNS providers, make sure yours is on the list here. (More coming soon!)
Domain Connect implementation using 1&1 or Godaddy will not work on our clustered solutions (AWS), as these DNS providers do not support the CNAME flattening that a cluster requires. You can instead point your domain’s nameservers to Cloudflare, then use Domain Connect to configure DNS.
If you are using Domain Connect with Cloudflare, clustered environments and CNAME flattening are both supported.
If your website is migrated to a new server environment, and are not pointed with CNAME flattening, Domain Connect will not automatically know to update your DNS records.
- Either remove and re-add the Domain to your Domains page in the User Portal to trigger the automatic DNS connection process.
- Or, manually update the entries directly through your DNS host.
When using Cloudflare, Akamai, Incapsula, or other services involving a reverse proxy, Domain Connect will not be able to update your DNS records. Your DNS records will need to be configured manually with these services.

NEXT STEP: Learn about domain status messages in the User Portal