Connect a domain at Namecheap

Add the DNS record HYDLNK shows at Namecheap, with the exact menus and fields, and what to check if it doesn’t verify.

Guide 6 of 10 · 5 min read

First add your domain in the HYDLNK editor under Domains and keep that screen open. It shows the record to add. This guide covers the Namecheap side.

Check that your DNS is managed here

Namecheap only shows Host Records when the domain uses Namecheap’s own DNS: BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS.

Sign in to Namecheap and open Domain List.
Select Manage next to your domain.
Look at Nameservers. If it says Namecheap BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS, continue below. If it says Custom DNS, or the nameservers belong to Namecheap hosting, edit the records at that provider or in cPanel instead.
Open the Advanced DNS tab. Host Records is the table you will edit.

Subdomain: add the CNAME

Use this for links.yourbrand.com, so your website keeps working.

Domain List, Manage, then Advanced DNS.
Under Host Records, select Add New Record.
Choose CNAME Record as the type.
In Host, enter links. Namecheap adds your domain.
In Value, paste the target HYDLNK shows.
Leave TTL on Automatic, then select Save All Changes.

The value is the one HYDLNK shows on the Domains screen of the editor. Copy it from there; never type it from memory or from another guide.

Root domain: add the A record

Use this for yourbrand.com itself.

Delete the defaults first. A new domain comes with a URL Redirect Record on @ and a www CNAME that points to Namecheap’s parking page. Delete both with the trash icon, and any other record on @.
Select Add New Record and choose A Record.
In Host, enter @.
In Value, paste the address HYDLNK shows, then select Save All Changes.

Never put a CNAME on @. It breaks the email for your domain.

The value is the one HYDLNK shows on the Domains screen of the editor. Copy it from there; never type it from memory or from another guide.

Common problems at Namecheap

No Host Records table. The domain isn’t on Namecheap DNS. Go back to Nameservers and either switch to Namecheap BasicDNS or edit where the nameservers point.
The change didn’t stick. Select Save All Changes after you edit. Adding a row isn’t enough on its own.
The old redirect still shows. A URL Redirect Record and an A record on the same host conflict. Delete the redirect.
An AAAA record on the same name. Remove it. If a name has an AAAA record, some visitors are sent there instead of to your page.
A CNAME that shares its name with another record. A CNAME can’t sit next to any other record on the same name. Delete the others first, or use a different subdomain.
A CAA record that doesn’t allow us. If your domain has a CAA record, it must allow letsencrypt.org, or https won’t start. If you have no CAA records, you don’t need to add one.

How long it takes, then check in HYDLNK

Records usually show within about 30 minutes. If you changed nameservers, allow up to 48 hours.

Then open Domains in the HYDLNK editor. The screen looks again on its own, and Check DNS now looks straight away. When it says Verified, https starts on its own, usually within a few minutes, and your page loads at your domain. There is nothing else to turn on.

If it still says Waiting for DNS after the time above, read If it doesn’t verify in the main guide.

Checked October 2026. Dashboards change; if a menu is named differently when you look, the field names above still apply.