# Buy a domain

The platform does not sell domains, so you buy one from a registrar and make sure above all that you can edit its DNS zone yourself.

> Source: https://www.application-platform.com/en/docs/buy-domain/

The Application Platform does not sell domains itself. You buy the domain from a domain registrar of your choice and then connect it to your project by setting the DNS records the platform shows you. Common registrars include IONOS, Hetzner, Cloudflare, Namecheap, or the web host you are already a customer of.

## What matters about the provider

Technically, only one thing is decisive.

{{< docnote type="warning" >}}
You need full access to the domain's DNS zone, meaning the ability to create and edit your own `A` and `CNAME` records. An offer that only allows redirecting to another address is not enough.
{{< /docnote >}}

Check this in the product description before buying or in the provider's customer area right after the purchase. If your domain's DNS zone is hosted at Cloudflare, the platform can later set the records itself, as described under [Set DNS with Cloudflare]({{< relref "dns-cloudflare" >}}).

## When buying

1. Check the domain name. Short and memorable is good, and hyphens and special characters make the name more error-prone when typed or passed on.
2. Choose the ending. Whether `.de`, `.com`, or any other TLD makes no difference to the platform; technically, all of them work.
3. After the purchase, open the domain's DNS zone in the customer area and check that you can create and edit records there.

## After the purchase

Enter the domain when creating or editing your project in the platform, for example as the prod domain of your web app or homepage. The platform then shows you under **Domains** the DNS records this domain needs. How to enter the values at the registrar and how to tell that everything is correct is described under [Configure DNS]({{< relref "domain-how-to" >}}).