Configure a Hover Domain Name for an Azure Website

To point domains purchased from Hover to your Microsoft Azure Website, just follow the steps below. Only Azure Websites in Shared, Basic, and Standard modes allow you to use custom domain names, so you may need to upgrade your service from the free tier.

1. Open the Azure Management Portal in your browser and, in the Websites tab, click the name of your site, select Dashboard, and then select the Manage Domains tab from the bottom of the view.
2. In the Manage custom domains window, you will see the .azurewebsites.net domain name your site is assigned, along with some other configuration details. Note the .azurewebsites.net domain, including the subdomain specific to your website.
3. Open hover.com in your browser, select your account, select the domain you want to use for the Azure Website, and click the DNS tab.
4. Delete the two default entries that have Hover IP addresses. These are the placeholder pages your domain currently resolves to when you type the domain into your browser.
5. Select ADD NEW from the DNS menu.
6. In the Record Type dropdown, select CNAME.
7. In the Hostname field, type @.
8. In the Target Host field, type the Azure Websites domain of your site and click Save. This is the yoursitename.azurewebsites.net domain we noted earlier in the Azure Management Portal.
9. If you want to resolve the www subdomain, select ADD NEW once again from the DNS menu.
10. In the Record Type dropdown, select CNAME.
11. In the Hostname field, type www.
12. In the Target Host field, type the Azure Websites domain of your site and click Save.

Here comes the fun part – the new records for your domain name need to propagate throughout the DNS system. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how long this will take.

Go ahead and return to the Manage Domains tab in the Azure Management Portal. Type your domain name into the Domain Names field and wait to see if it resolves. If you’re lucky, it will resolve immediately. If Azure tells you a CNAME cannot be found, go do something else for an hour or so and then try again.

Once the domain propagates, you will want to add the www version of your domain to the list, assuming you configured it earlier. With both entries listed, click the check button at the bottom of the window.

Finally, verify that your domain name resolves to your Azure Website by typing it into your browser.

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