System Domain

Use this domain to get branded links without DNS configuration.

Add System Domain

You can create a system domain to quickly start using branded links in your WhatsApp/SMS & RCS campaigns without DNS configuration. To add a system domain, enter the following details:

1. Go to Settings > Set Up > Branded Domain.

2. Click Add Domain and select the channel.

   

3. Select Domain Type as System.

4. Enter the following details:

   

   Field	Description
   Nickname	Enter a name to identify the domain (for example, "Marketing").
   Channel	Displays the channel for which the branded domain is being created.
   Domain Type	A CleverTap-provided system domain that can be customized with your brand prefix. No DNS setup required. This is available only for WhatsApp/SMS & RCS channels.
   Domain	The base domain used for branding and tracking. When adding a system domain, this is auto-filled based on your account region. For more information, refer to Domain and Account Region Mapping for WhatsApp/SMS & RCS below the table.
   Branded URL Schema	Defines the structure of the branded tracking URL. This is available for WhatsApp/SMS & RCS channels and is required to add a system domain. URL Structure: domain/adjoiner/Shortkey, for example, ct3.io/clevertap/abc123 This includes the following: Domain: The domain entered above is prepopulated here. Adjoiner: A brand-specific path separator that connects the Domain and Shortkey, helping personalize and group URLs. The Adjoiner can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. It must not start or end with a hyphen, and cannot contain special characters. Shortkey: A unique, auto-generated code added to the branded domain, helping track clicks on links within campaigns.
   Error Page	The page users see if a tracking link is invalid or has expired. You can use CleverTap's system error page or provide a custom URL to maintain brand consistency even in error scenarios. Click Preview Error Page to view and verify the error before the domain becomes active.

5. Click Save. The status is set to Active immediately.

Domain and Account Region Mapping for WhatsApp/SMS & RCS

Best Practices for System Domain

• Choose a short and meaningful Adjoiner that clearly represents your brand or campaign type.
• Use lowercase letters and hyphens (-) if needed (for example, /clevertap/, /new-user/, /sale2024/).
• Keep it concise: Aim for 5–8 characters in the Adjoiner (excluding the slashes) to avoid long URLs in campaigns.
• Avoid vague terms such as /track/ or /link/; use something unique to your brand.

Custom Domain

Use this option to use your own subdomain for SMS without managing infrastructure. This option allows you to fully control the branding and tracking for your campaigns.

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Custom Domain

You can add up to 5 unique custom domains per account per channel.

Add Custom Domain

To add a custom domain for SMS, perform the following steps:

1. Click Add Domain and select the channel.

2. Enter the following details:
   

   

   Field	Description
   Nickname	Enter a name to identify the domain (for example, "Marketing").
   Channel	The channel this branded domain will be used for.
   Domain Type	Your own subdomain (for example, links.yourbrand.com) that requires DNS configuration.
   Domain	Enter your own subdomain to be used for branding and tracking.
   Branded URL Schema	Defines the structure of the branded tracking URL. It defines the structure of the branded tracking URL.

3. Click Save & Generate DNS after adding all the details. The domain status is set to Pending Verification immediately, and DNS Records are generated to add them to your Domain provider dashboard. The generated records include two CNAME records and one TXT record.

Best Practices for Custom Domain

• Use a subdomain such as links., click., or promo. (for example,links.yourbrand.com, click.yourbrand.com).
• Keep the Subdomain short, relevant, and easy to remember.
• Avoid complex words, long phrases, or special characters in the Subdomain name.

Custom Domain

When setting up a custom domain for Email, you must choose between the following two Domain Management options:

• CleverTap-Managed
• Self-Managed

CleverTap-Managed Custom Domain

CleverTap handles all infrastructure setup and ongoing maintenance. This is the default option.

Add Domain

Use your own domain (for example, sales.yourbrand.com) for maximum brand visibility. This option allows you to fully control the branding and tracking for your campaigns.

1. Go to Settings > Set Up > Branded Domain.

2. Click Add Domain and select Email channel.

   

3. Select Domain Type as Custom.

4. Verify Domain Management is set to CleverTap (this is the default for Email).

5. Enter the following details:

   

   Field	Description
   Nickname	Enter a name to identify the domain (for example, "Marketing").
   Domain Management	Selecting CleverTap indicates that CleverTap manages the infrastructure of your branded domain.
   Domain	Enter your own domain to be used for branding and tracking.

6. Click Save & Generate DNS.

DNS Records are generated, and the domain status is set to Pending Verification immediately. CleverTap generates one CNAME record and one TXT record.

Verify CleverTap-Managed Custom Domain

Verify the DNS records generated so the domain becomes active and available for use.

To do so, perform the following steps:

1. Go to the domain provider dashboard and configure the following DNS records. When configuring DNS records with your domain provider, enter only the prefix part in the Name field. The prefix is the part that precedes the main domain. For example, if the CNAME is _c58ebcb5c******5f03bb6b174349.track.yourdomain.com, enter _c58ebcb5c******5f03bb6b174349.track in the Name field.
2. Once your DNS records are saved, go back to the Branded Domain page on the CleverTap dashboard.
3. Click the icon next to your domain to refresh the domain verification status on the CleverTap dashboard. DNS verification may take up to 24 hours to complete. If verification fails, check your DNS configuration with your domain provider to ensure it is accurate. For more information, refer to FAQs​.

Link Branding Verification

DNS verification can take up to 48 hours after your domain is set to ACTIVE. To check if verification is complete, go to Branded Domains and click icon next to your domain to verify your domain and refresh the status on the CleverTap dashboard.

Set Up Link Branding (CleverTap-Managed)

This section covers link branding-specific configuration after your domain is verified and ACTIVE.

To set up Link Branding, perform the following steps:

1. Go to Settings > Setup > Branded Domains. The Branded Domains page opens.
2. Verify that the status of your domain shows ACTIVE
3. (Optional) Set your domain as the default. When a domain is set as default, all new email campaigns automatically use this domain for link branding. You can still override this on individual campaigns.
4. Go to Campaigns and compose an Email campaign.
5. Go to Sender Details and fill in the required fields.
6. Select Link Branding and select your domain from the dropdown. If you set it as default in Step 3, it will be pre-selected.
7. Preview your campaign to verify that branded links are generated:
   1. Click Preview & Test and send a test campaign.
   2. Hover over a link present in the test campaign to see the full URL, or right-click and select Copy Link Address to inspect it.
   3. Verify it shows your branded domain. The link will begin with https://track.yourbrand.com/r?... .
   4. Click the link to verify that the redirect works properly and points to the destination URL.

Self-Managed Custom Domain

If you already have a CloudFront distribution configured for your custom domain, you must use the Self-Managed option. This is because AWS CloudFront does not allow multiple distributions for the same custom domain.

With this, you maintain complete control over the CloudFront infrastructure and SSL certificates, while CleverTap handles link-tracking verification.

Important

You must ensure your CloudFront distribution is properly configured to point to CleverTap's tracking infrastructure.

Add Custom Domain

Use your own domain (for example, sales.yourbrand.com) for maximum brand visibility. This option allows you to fully control the branding and tracking for your campaigns.

To add a self-managed custom domain, perform the following steps:

1. Go to Settings > Setup > Branded Domain.

2. Click Add Domain and select Email channel.

   

3. Select Domain Type as Custom.

4. Select Domain Management as Self.

5. Enter the following details:

   

   Field	Description
   Nickname	Provide a name to identify the domain (for example, "Marketing").
   Channel	The channel this branded domain will be used for.
   Domain Type	Your own domain (for example, links.yourbrand.com) that requires DNS configuration.
   Domain Management	Selecting Self indicates you manage the infrastructure for your branded domain. For more information, refer to Verify Custom Domain.
   Domain	Enter your own domain to be used for branding and tracking

6. Click Save & Generate DNS.

DNS Records are generated, and the domain status is set to Pending Verification immediately. DNS records include a single TXT record.

Set Up Self-Managed Domain

The following steps must be completed by your team to set up your self-managed domain:

Step 1: Add TXT Record to DNS

Add the TXT record generated by CleverTap to your domain’s DNS provider. This verifies domain ownership with CleverTap.

1. Go to your domain provider dashboard
2. Copy and add the TXT record shown in the DNS records section of the CleverTap dashboard.

Step 2: Create S3 Bucket for .well-known Files

Host your app'sapple-app-site-association and assetlinks.json files at both the root path and /.well-known/ path.

1. Create an S3 bucket in your AWS account
2. Upload the following files:
   • /apple-app-site-association (at bucket root)
   • /.well-known/apple-app-site-association
   • /assetlinks.json (at bucket root)
   • /.well-known/assetlinks.json
3. Set Content-Type to application/json for all files
4. Configure the bucket for private access with Origin Access Control (OAC); CloudFront will access it securely.

Step 3: Request ACM Certificate

Request a public SSL certificate for your custom domain.

1. Go to AWS Certificate Manager in the us-east-1 region (required for CloudFront).
2. Request a public certificate for your custom domain (for example, links.yourbrand.com).
3. Choose DNS validation.
4. Add the required DNS CNAME record to your domain provider.
5. Wait for the certificate to be issued (typically a few minutes).
6. Note the certificate ARN for use in CloudFront.

Step 4: Create CloudFront Distribution

Create a CloudFront distribution with two origins and three cache behaviors.

Create Two Origins

• Origin 1 - CleverTap Tracking:
  • Origin Domain: To identify the region-specific origin domain, refer to the following table:

    Dashboard URL	Region	Origin Host
    eu1.dashboard.clevertap.com	EU	wizrocketmail.net
    in1.dashboard.clevertap.com	IN	in1.wizrocketmail.net
    sg1.dashboard.clevertap.com	SG	sg1.wizrocketmail.net
    us1.dashboard.clevertap.com	US	us1.wizrocketmail.net
    mec1.dashboard.clevertap.com	APS	aps3.wizrocketmail.net
    aps3.dashboard.clevertap.com	MEC	mec1.wizrocketmail.net​

  • Origin protocol: HTTPS only
  • Origin SSL protocols: TLSv1.2 minimum
• Origin 2 - S3 Bucket
  • Origin domain: Your S3 bucket
  • Origin Access Control: Enable OAC for secure access
  • Protocol: HTTPS only

Configure Cache Behavior

You are required to configure the following three cache behaviors in the same order:

1. Behavior 1 - AASA File:
   • Path pattern: /.well-known/*
   • Origin: S3 bucket origin
   • Cache policy: CachingOptimized
   • Allowed HTTP methods: GET, HEAD
   • Viewer protocol policy: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
2. Behavior 2 - Legacy iOS Path:
   • Path pattern: /apple-app-site-association
   • Origin: S3 bucket origin
   • Cache policy: CachingOptimized
   • Allowed HTTP methods: GET, HEAD
   • Viewer protocol policy: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
3. Behavior 3 - Default (Tracking):
   • Path pattern: * (matches all traffic)
   • Origin: CleverTap origin
   • Cache policy: CachingDisabled

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     Important

     Ensure cache policy is set to CachingDisabled . If CloudFront caches the tracking response, subsequent users are served the cached response without reaching CleverTap, so their clicks/opens will not be recorded.

   • Origin request policy: AllViewer (ID: 216adef6-5c7f-47e4-b989-5492eafa07d3)
     • Forwards all headers, including Host (critical for account identification)
     • Forwards all query strings
   • Allowed HTTP methods: GET, HEAD, OPTIONS, PUT, POST, PATCH, DELETE
   • Viewer protocol policy: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

Step 5: Set Alternate Domain Name (CNAME)

1. In CloudFront distribution settings, add your custom domain as an Alternate Domain Name (CNAME)
2. Attach the ACM certificate created in Step 3.
3. Save and wait for the distribution to deploy (status shows “Deployed”).

Step 6: Verify Domain

1. Once your CloudFront distribution is deployed (status shows "Deployed") and your TXT record is configured, go back to the Branded Domain page on the CleverTap dashboard
2. Click the verification icon next to your domain. DNS verification may take up to 48 hours to complete. The verification checks only the TXT record; ensure your CloudFront distribution is properly configured separately. CleverTap re-checks verification every 3 hours

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DNS Verification

DNS verification can take up to 48 hours after your domain is set to ACTIVE. To check if verification is complete, go to Branded Domain from the CleverTap dashboard.

If verification fails:

• Verify your TXT record is correctly configured with your DNS provider
• Ensure your CloudFront distribution is deployed and accessible

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DNS Conflict

Your custom domain should only be used for CleverTap tracking. Do not use this domain in any other tool, service, or CDN distribution. Multiple CNAME records pointing to different services for the same custom domain will cause DNS conflicts and break tracking.

Step 7: Update DNS CNAME

1. Go to your domain provider dashboard
2. Create a CNAME record pointing your custom domain to your CloudFront distribution:
   • Name: Your custom domain (for example, links.yourbrand.com)
   • Value: Your CloudFront distribution domain (for example, d1234abcdef.cloudfront.net)
3. Save the record.

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Self-Manged Domain Configuration

Unlike CleverTap-managed custom domains, self-managed domains do not require
CNAME records generated by CleverTap. Instead, you manage the CNAME record
in your AWS account pointing your custom domain to your CloudFront distribution.
You only need to configure CleverTap's TXT record for domain verification.

Set Up Link Branding for Self-Managed Domain

This section covers the link branding-specific configuration after your self-managed domain is verified and Active.

To set up Link Branding, perform the following steps:

1. Go to Settings > Set Up > Branded Domains. The Branded Domains page opens.
2. Verify that your domain status is ACTIVE.
3. (Optional) Set your self-managed domain as the default. When a domain is set as default, all new email campaigns automatically use this domain for link branding. You can still override this on individual campaigns.
4. Go to Campaigns and compose an Email campaign.
5. Go to Sender Details and fill in details such as From Name, From Email address, Subject, and so on.
6. Select Link Branding and select your self-managed domain from the dropdown. If you set it as the default in Step 3, it will be pre-selected.
7. Verify Click Tracking is enabled (required for link branding). The links for product pages, CTAs, preference centers, or other destinations added in the campaign message, CleverTap automatically wraps all links with tracking code and applies your branded domain
8. Preview your campaign to verify that branded links are generated:
   1. Click Preview & Test and send a test campaign.
   2. Hover over a link present in the test campaign to see the full URL, or right-click and select Copy Link Address to inspect it.
   3. Verify it shows your branded domain. The link will begin with https://track.yourbrand.com/r?... .
   4. Click the link to verify that the redirect works properly and points to the destination URL.

Now, when you send an email with a from address where the domain matches your branded link domain, CleverTap automatically applies that domain to all links in the email. When the user clicks a branded link (for example, track.yourbrand.com/r?e=<encrypted_payload>):

• The request reaches your CloudFront distribution. CloudFront matches the path (for example, /r or /t) and forwards to CleverTap's regional email redirect host (for example, wizrocketmail.net).
• CleverTap's server receives the request, decrypts the payload, and records the click/open event. CleverTap responds with a redirect to the final destination URL.

• CloudFront passes the response directly back without caching. User's browser follows the redirect to the final destination. All tracking data is recorded in CleverTap analytics and visible in the campaign report.

Best Practices For Self-Managed Domain

• CloudFront Configuration:
  • Use appropriate cache TTL settings (Time To Live) for tracking links.
  • Configure cache behaviors to handle both tracked links and error pages.
  • Enable compression for smaller payload sizes.
  • Use HTTPS-only for secure tracking.
• SSL/TLS Certificate Management:
  • Use a valid, non-expired SSL certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority.
  • Renew certificates before expiration to avoid service interruptions.
  • Consider using auto-renewal services to prevent certificate expiration issues.
• Monitoring and Maintenance:
  • Monitor CloudFront metrics for unusual activity.
  • Set up CloudFront access logs to track domain usage.
  • Regularly review and update cache behaviors as needed.
  • Test the domain periodically to ensure proper functioning.
• DNS Configuration:
  • Copy the exact TXT record from your CleverTap dashboard; do not modify the value. Use the copy option to avoid any errors.
  • Allow up to 24 hours for DNS propagation before verifying
  • Do not use this domain in other tools/services (avoid DNS conflicts)
  • (Optional) Verify DNS is correctly configured by executing this command: nslookup -type=TXT _clevertap-verify.track.yourbrand.com

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Tip: Buy New Short Domain for Campaigns

If your existing domain is long or complex, consider purchasing a new, short domain for marketing messages. Ideally, the domain must be 5–8 characters long and phonetically similar to your brand name. This improves:

• Link trustworthiness
• User recall and voice-based sharing (for example, over phone or radio)
• Visual clarity in messages and notifications

Examples:

• If your brand name is long (for example, ExampleStore), consider short domain options like exstr.in, exsto.co, or exst.co.
• For multi-word brand names (for example, Example Food Market), you could use shortened versions such as exfdmr.com, efmkt.in, or xfmk.co.