Set up your link domain

Before you start

For

Marketers and developers

Time

Seconds for a Linkrunner sub-domain, about 5 minutes for a Branded sub-domain

You need

• A Linkrunner sub-domain needs nothing: claim one in one click
• A Branded sub-domain needs a domain you own and access to its DNS settings, to add a CNAME record

Your tracking links and deep links need a domain. You have two choices.

• Linkrunner sub-domain. Claim yourname.app-link.co in one click. No DNS record. HTTPS is included and it is live in seconds. This is the fastest way to get started.
• Branded sub-domain. Use your own domain, such as link.yourdomain.com. You add one DNS record and it takes about 5 minutes.

You can start with a Linkrunner sub-domain and add a Branded sub-domain any time later.

	Linkrunner sub-domain	Branded sub-domain
Link looks like	yourname.app-link.co/...	link.yourdomain.com/...
You need	Nothing	A domain you own and access to its DNS
DNS record	None	One CNAME to api.linkrunner.io
HTTPS	Included	Included, after the CNAME is verified
Time to live	Seconds	About 5 minutes, plus DNS propagation

Claim a Linkrunner sub-domain

1. In the Linkrunner dashboard, go to Settings → Manage Domains. During project setup, you see the same choice.
2. Pick Linkrunner sub-domain. The dashboard suggests a name from your website or project name. Change it if you like.
3. Confirm the name.

Your links work right away. Use https://yourname.app-link.co wherever this documentation says "your Linkrunner domain".

Open the app from a link

To open your app straight from a link, add the sub-domain to your app. Linkrunner hosts the apple-app-site-association and assetlinks.json files for you.

• iOS: add applinks:yourname.app-link.co to Associated Domains.
• Android: add yourname.app-link.co as a host in your intent filter with autoVerify.

See Deep Linking Setup for the full steps. A Linkrunner sub-domain works the same way as a Branded sub-domain.

Rules and limits

• Name: 3 to 30 characters. Use lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens. No hyphen at the start or end, and no double hyphen.
• One per project. Each project can claim one Linkrunner sub-domain, and each person up to three across their projects.
• No renaming. Links and QR codes you share already use the name, so it cannot change. Linkrunner never gives a released name to another account.
• Names that are not allowed. Names that look like login, payment, verification or support pages (for example names containing login, verify, kyc, otp, wallet or refund) and well-known brand names. If you own a brand, contact support@linkrunner.io.
• New projects. Until your project is 7 days old or has paid an invoice, its campaign links can only send people to App Store or Play Store links, your app (deep links) and your project's own website. This applies to every campaign in a project that has a Linkrunner sub-domain. After that, links can go to any destination.
• Your app's own link scheme. Your project's app scheme (Project Details) must be your own app's, not a browser, payment app or another app's scheme. App deep links cannot carry a web address.
• Acceptable use. Linkrunner can turn off a sub-domain whose links break the acceptable use policy.

Set up a Branded sub-domain

Use your own domain (for example link.yourdomain.com) for Linkrunner links. Your links look like your brand and users trust them more.

What you need:

• A domain you own
• Access to your domain's DNS settings

Step 1: Choose a Branded sub-domain

From the Linkrunner dashboard, go to Settings → Manage Domains, click Add sub-domain and choose Branded sub-domain. Enter a subdomain prefix (e.g. link, app, get, open) and your domain name.

Your subdomain will look like: subdomain.yourdomain.com

Step 2: Add a CNAME record

Go to your domain registrar's DNS settings and add a CNAME record with these values:

Name	Type	Value
your-subdomain	CNAME	api.linkrunner.io

For example, if your subdomain is link.example.com, set:

• Name: link
• Type: CNAME
• Value: api.linkrunner.io

Provider-specific guides

1. Log in to your GoDaddy account and go to My Products
2. Find your domain and click DNS (or Manage DNS)
3. Click Add New Record
4. Select CNAME as the record type
5. In the Name field, enter your subdomain prefix (e.g. link)
6. In the Value field, enter api.linkrunner.io
7. Leave TTL as the default (or set to 1 hour)
8. Click Save

1. Open the Route 53 console and go to Hosted zones
2. Click on your domain name
3. Click Create record
4. Enter your subdomain prefix in the Record name field (e.g. link)
5. Set Record type to CNAME
6. In the Value field, enter api.linkrunner.io
7. Leave TTL as 300 (or your preferred value)
8. Click Create records

1. Log in to your Namecheap account and go to Domain List
2. Click Manage next to your domain
3. Go to the Advanced DNS tab
4. Click Add New Record
5. Select CNAME Record as the type
6. In the Host field, enter your subdomain prefix (e.g. link)
7. In the Target field, enter api.linkrunner.io
8. Leave TTL as Automatic
9. Click the checkmark to save

You must turn off Cloudflare's proxy for this record.

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard and select your domain
2. Go to DNS > Records
3. Click Add record
4. Set Type to CNAME
5. In the Name field, enter your subdomain prefix (e.g. link)
6. In the Target field, enter api.linkrunner.io
7. Set the Proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud icon)
8. Click Save

Step 3: Verification

After adding the CNAME record, Linkrunner automatically checks your DNS configuration and provisions an SSL certificate.

• CNAME Not Verified: DNS record hasn't been detected yet. This can take a few minutes to propagate.
• CNAME Verified: Your DNS record is correctly pointing to api.linkrunner.io.
• SSL Active: Your SSL certificate has been provisioned. Your subdomain is fully ready to use.

You can click the refresh button next to your subdomain in the dashboard to manually re-check the status.

Troubleshooting

DNS propagation delay DNS changes can take up to 24–48 hours to propagate globally, though most providers update within a few minutes. If your CNAME isn't verified after adding it, wait and try refreshing later.

Wrong CNAME value Make sure the CNAME value is exactly api.linkrunner.io, not your subdomain URL or an IP address.

Cloudflare proxy interference If you use Cloudflare, ensure the proxy status is set to DNS only (grey cloud). The orange cloud (proxied) mode will interfere with SSL certificate provisioning.

SSL still pending SSL provisioning happens automatically after CNAME verification and usually takes a few minutes. If it remains inactive after 30 minutes with a verified CNAME, contact support.

Manage your sub-domains

From Settings → Manage Domains in the dashboard, you can:

• Claim a Linkrunner sub-domain or add a Branded sub-domain
• Delete a Branded sub-domain you no longer need
• Monitor the CNAME and SSL status of each Branded sub-domain

Links on your Linkrunner sub-domain keep working after you add a Branded sub-domain.

FAQ

Can I switch to my own domain later? Yes. Add a Branded sub-domain any time. Both sub-domains work, so links you already shared keep working.

Can I rename my Linkrunner sub-domain? No. Links and QR codes in the wild use the name. Claim the name you want to keep.

Why was my name refused? It may be too short or too long, use characters that are not allowed, look like a login, payment, verification or support page, or match a well-known brand. Try a different name. If you own the brand, contact support@linkrunner.io.

Why can't my campaign link go to this website? Your account is less than 7 days old and has not paid an invoice. Until then, links can only go to App Store or Play Store links, your app and your project's own website.

Need help? Contact support@linkrunner.io.