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What is DNS Setup?

DNS (Domain Name System) setup involves creating an A Record in your domain provider. For Northbeam, this means adding a subdomain—commonly named i—that points to an address provided in your dashboard. This simple step enables first-party tracking using your domain, unlocking advanced tracking capabilities while avoiding many of the limitations of third-party tracking.

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Setting up your DNS

Having a dedicated DNS entry for Northbeam improves our ability to track your customers when they return to your website after their first visit. In your domain provider, you’ll need to create an A Record, named i, pointing to a specific address you’ll find in your dashboard. This allows first-party tracking. If the subdomain i is already mapped to something, please get in touch with us so we can help you pick a different subdomain name.
Content Security PolicyIn order for the pixel to use this subdomain, your Content Security Policy (CSP) must explicitly or implicitly allow traffic to the i subdomain. Please make sure your CSP includes either:
  • *.your-store.com, or
  • i.your-store.com
in the connect-src of your CSP.

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Examples

  • www.my-store.com
    • Top-level domain: my-store.com
    • Create a DNS record for i.my-store.com
  • try.my-product.com and get.my-product.com
    • Top-level domain: my-product.com
    • Create a DNS record for i.my-product.com

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Instructions are available for multiple Domain providers

  • Generic
  • GoDaddy
  • CloudFlare
  • Google Domains

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Following the onboarding flow here will lead you to success**

:tada:

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Instructions

Follow these steps to enable first-party tracking with Northbeam:
  1. Log In to Your Domain Provider
    Access the DNS settings for the domain you want to use with Northbeam.
  2. Create an A Record
    • Host Name: Use i
    • Address: This is provided in your Northbeam dashboard. Copy and paste it exactly as shown.
    • Examples of A-Record Entries
      Here’s what your DNS setup might look like:
      • i.northbeam.io -> The top-level domain here is northbeam.io.
      • i.company-2.com -> The top-level domain here is company-2.com.
  3. Save Your Changes
    Once saved, your DNS setup will enable first-party tracking through Northbeam.

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⚠️ Additional Step for Domains Using DNSSEC

If your domain has DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) enabled, you’ll need to add a CAA record to allow certificate issuance by Let’s Encrypt. Without this step, your SSL certificate may fail to generate, resulting in issues like 404 not found or certificate mismatch errors.

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Add the following CAA record

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If you’re unsure whether DNSSEC is enabled, check with your domain provider or DNS settings panel.

You can also use tools like https://dnschecker.org to verify DNSSEC and CAA status.