Connect a Namecheap domain (Advanced DNS host records)

Did you buy your domain at Namecheap, or does Namecheap manage its DNS? This guide shows, step by step, where to create in Namecheap the records Acatudy asks for.

Before you start

• In Acatudy, go to My academy → General → Details & domain, type your address in Your own domain (for example www.brightpathtutoring.com) and click Add domain. A custom domain is included in Basic and Professional (1 domain) and Institutional (3 domains).
• Open How do I link my domain? on that card and keep it at hand: it shows your CNAME target (like brightpath.acatudy.com) and the IP address for a root domain.
• Namecheap's help says the Host Records section is only available when the domain uses Namecheap BasicDNS, FreeDNS or PremiumDNS. Check it in Domain List → Manage → Domain → Nameservers: with Custom DNS, create the records at that other provider.

Step 1. Open your DNS records at Namecheap

1. Open your Domain List

   Sign in to Namecheap and go to Domain List.

2. Manage the domain

   Click Manage next to your domain.

3. Open Advanced DNS

   Open the Advanced DNS tab and find the Host Records section. New records are added with Add New Record.

Step 2. Point www to your academy (CNAME)

Add this record (or edit the existing www record if there is one):

Choose CNAME Record as the Type. Namecheap adds your domain to the Host automatically ("the domain name itself should not be included in the Host field"), so type only www. Save the record with the green check mark or Save all changes.

Using another subdomain, such as learn? Use it as the name instead of www, and add that same address in Acatudy. With this CNAME no TXT record is needed.

Step 3. Remove records that get in the way

• New Namecheap domains come with two parking records: a URL Redirect Record on @ to http://www.yourdomain.com/ and a CNAME Record on www to parkingpage.namecheap.com. Delete the www CNAME (or edit it to your academy address).
• Namecheap's help: before creating a CNAME, remove any CNAME, URL Redirect, ALIAS or A record on the same Host.
• Delete any AAAA record on that Host as well.

Don't touch MX, SPF or DKIM records: they run your email.

Step 4 (optional). The root domain

brightpathtutoring.com (without www) and www.brightpathtutoring.com are one domain: if the root also points to Acatudy, it works on its own, redirects (301) to the address you added keeping the path, shares its HTTPS certificate and doesn't count as an extra domain. So you no longer need to forward the root to www from Namecheap.

Create the A record on the root

If the default URL Redirect Record on @ (or a Redirect Domain rule) is still active, delete it first: it conflicts with the A record. Since www already has the CNAME, the root doesn't need the TXT. Create this record, replacing any existing A record on the root:

Choose A Record. Namecheap asks you not to set a CNAME on @ because it can break MX (email) records; it offers ALIAS records for the root, but the A record is the simplest choice.

Prefer the root as your main address? Add brightpathtutoring.com in Acatudy instead of www, create the same A record and the TXT record (see below). If you also create the CNAME on www, www redirects to the root and the TXT isn't needed.

Step 5. Verify in Acatudy and get HTTPS

1. Wait for propagation

   Namecheap's default TTL is Automatic (30 minutes, 5 minutes for ALIAS records), and its help says new host records take about 30 minutes to take effect. Nameserver changes can take up to 24 hours.

2. Verification is automatic

   Acatudy checks pending domains every 10 minutes for 14 days. To check right away, click Verify on the Your own domain card: the badge changes from pending to verified.

3. HTTPS is automatic too

   Once verified, we issue a free Let's Encrypt certificate and renew it for you, usually within minutes (we retry every hour if the DNS isn't ready). There's nothing to install at Namecheap.

4. Check it yourself (optional)

   Run nslookup -type=CNAME www.brightpathtutoring.com in a terminal, or use Google's Admin Toolbox Dig: the answer should be your academy address.

The TXT record (required with an A record on the root)

If you use an A record on the root, Acatudy requires a TXT record to prove the domain is yours (the IP address is shared by all academies). With the CNAME on www you don't need it, not even for the root. The card shows its Host (e.g. _acatudy-verify.brightpathtutoring.com) and Value (acatudy-verify=…).

Choose TXT Record. Namecheap adds your domain to the Host automatically, so remove .yourdomain.com from the Host that Acatudy shows.

Common problems at Namecheap

Still not verified after 24 hours, or verified without HTTPS? Open a ticket in Support from your panel with the domain and a screenshot of your DNS records at Namecheap (see Support and response times).

Official documentation and related guides

Namecheap official documentation consulted for this guide:

• How do I set up host records for a domain?
• How to create a CNAME record for your domain
• How to connect a domain to a server or hosting
• How do I add TXT/SPF/DKIM/DMARC records?
• How to set up a URL redirect for a domain
• How to change DNS for a domain

In Acatudy: Connect your domain: guides by provider (www vs root, nameservers, TTL and troubleshooting) and Connect your own domain.