DNS overview: point chat. at ForwardSlash
This page explains what you’re changing and why your main website can break if DNS is edited wrong.
What you need
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Subdomain for chat | chat.yourdomain.com |
| Record type | CNAME |
| Target (value) | Usually cname.vercel-dns.com — use the exact value from your ForwardSlash dashboard or go-live instructions (some projects use a custom CNAME target). |
You do not change where yourdomain.com (the apex) or www points unless you intend to move your main site. The chat lives only on chat. (or the subdomain shown in your dashboard).
Nameservers vs DNS records (important)
- Registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, …): you bought the domain here.
- DNS host (where records actually live): might be the same as the registrar, or Cloudflare, Route 53, etc.
Only one place controls your live DNS: whichever nameservers your domain uses.
| If nameservers point to… | You edit records at… |
|---|---|
| Namecheap default (“Namecheap BasicDNS”) | Namecheap → Advanced DNS |
Cloudflare (e.g. dana.ns.cloudflare.com) | Cloudflare → DNS only |
| Your web host (Squarespace, Wix, etc.) | That host’s DNS panel |
If you switch nameservers (e.g. from Cloudflare back to Namecheap), every record must exist in the new place or email and the main site can break.
Why your main site went down (common story)
- Domain used Cloudflare nameservers → all records lived in Cloudflare.
- You switched Namecheap to BasicDNS and only added
chat. - Records for
@(root) andwwwwere only in Cloudflare → they disappeared from the public DNS → gasfees.org broke until you fixed it.
Fix: Either put all records (apex, www, chat, email, etc.) in one DNS panel, or keep nameservers on Cloudflare and only edit Cloudflare.
Recommended setup (Namecheap domain + Cloudflare)
-
At Namecheap: Domain → Nameservers → Custom DNS → enter only Cloudflare’s two nameservers (from Cloudflare when you added the site).
-
At Cloudflare → DNS → Records:
- Keep existing A / CNAME for
@andwww(your main site). - Add CNAME
chat→ targetcname.vercel-dns.com(or the value ForwardSlash shows). - For Vercel, Cloudflare often recommends DNS only (grey cloud) on that CNAME; if you use Proxied (orange), follow Vercel + Cloudflare docs for SSL.
- Keep existing A / CNAME for
-
In ForwardSlash dashboard: run Go live after the CNAME propagates.
Propagation
DNS changes can take a few minutes to 48 hours. Use a checker like dnschecker.org on chat.yourdomain.com to see CNAME globally.
Next steps
Open the guide for your DNS provider in the sidebar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, etc.).