Set up a custom domain at IONOS
How to point your domain registered at IONOS to your Sosta website. DNS management lives in the control center under "Domains & SSL".
What you need
- An IONOS domain (e.g. deinhaus.de)
- Access to the IONOS control center
- 5 minutes of your time
Step by step
Sign in to the IONOS control center
Go to ionos.de and sign in. On the start page you find the menu item "Domains & SSL".
Dein Bildschirm: IONOS control center start page
Pick the domain
Click "Domains & SSL". You see all your domains. Click the domain you want to use for Sosta.
Dein Bildschirm: IONOS domain list
Open the DNS area
In the domain detail view switch to the tab or area "DNS". There you manage all records for the domain.
Dein Bildschirm: IONOS DNS area of the domain
Create the CNAME record for www
Click "Add entry" and choose type CNAME. Enter the following values and save.
| Typ | CNAME |
| Name / Host | www |
| Wert / Ziel | cname.sosta.app |
| TTL | 3600 |
At IONOS the target value sometimes needs a trailing dot (cname.sosta.app.) — in case IONOS otherwise appends your domain name. Both spellings usually work.
Create the A record for the apex domain
For the bare domain without www (deinhaus.de) you create an A record: "Add entry" → type A. Values:
| Typ | A |
| Name / Host | @ (or leave empty for the apex) |
| Wert / Ziel | 72.60.83.165 |
| TTL | 3600 |
With the CNAME for www and the A record for @ your domain is reachable in both spellings. Keep both entries.
Verify in Sosta and go live
In Sosta go to Website → Settings. Enter your domain under "Custom domain" and click "Verify DNS". IONOS DNS usually propagates within 30 minutes.
Once verified, Sosta automatically obtains the TLS certificate (HTTPS). Typically 1–5 minutes.
When the TLS status switches to "ISSUED", go to Website → Go live and click "Go live".
Notes & common problems
IONOS updates its control center occasionally, so menu labels can change slightly. What always matters are the record values above: CNAME www → cname.sosta.app and A record @ → 72.60.83.165.
You only change the web records (A and CNAME). MX records and all email settings stay unchanged — your mail keeps working as before.
Most likely the entries have not propagated yet. Wait 30 minutes and try again. If it still fails after 2 hours:
- Check that the CNAME (www) and the A record (@) are really saved
- Make sure you use the IONOS nameservers (not external ones)
- Test with
dig www.deinhaus.de CNAMEanddig deinhaus.de Ain the terminal
Let's Encrypt provisions the certificate every 5 minutes. If PENDING persists after 30 minutes: write to us at hallo@sosta.app with your domain — we check the TLS provisioning log.