Fixing domain and SSL problems

Your custom domain does not load, the certificate has been pending for hours, or the wrong site appears. Domain problems feel urgent, but nearly all of them are one of a short list of DNS states. From your Orbit dashboard, go to Settings, then Domains, and read the status next to your domain before you change anything.

What each status means

• Pending verification: Orbit cannot see the DNS records yet.
• SSL pending: the records are right and the certificate is being issued.
• Active: the domain is live and secured.
• DNS invalid: the records are there but do not point at Orbit.

The domain does not load at all

Almost always a DNS record that is missing, mistyped, or too new to have spread.

1. Go to Settings, then Domains, and open your domain.
2. Click Show manual DNS records. Orbit lists the TXT record under Domain Ownership and the records under Domain Pointing that send traffic to your store.
3. Log in to your domain provider and compare every record character by character. One wrong character in a target is a dead domain.
4. Click Verify DNS configuration. If it fails, wait and try again rather than editing the records twice.
5. Give it time. DNS changes take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on your provider and the old record's time to live.
6. Do not judge it from your own browser. Your computer caches DNS hard. Use an online DNS checker to see what the rest of the world resolves.

Note: Enter the domain without http:// or www, for example shop.example.com.

The certificate stays pending

The status reads TLS certificate pending or SSL provisioning. The certificate is only issued once all the DNS records are verified, so a domain that is not pointing yet can never get one.

1. Fix the pointing records first. The certificate follows on its own.
2. Check the records under SSL Certificate Validation. These are CNAME records and they have to be in your DNS as well.
3. If it has been pending for days, check your DNS provider for an old CAA record. A CAA record can stop a certificate being issued. This is rare, but it does happen.
4. Check for stale AAAA records pointing somewhere else. An IPv6 record left behind from an old host can block validation.

The status reads DNS invalid or the certificate failed

1. Re-read the records under Show manual DNS records and correct any that do not match.
2. Click Verify DNS configuration again.
3. If the status reads TLS certificate failed, remove the domain and add it again with Add domain. The certificate is requested afresh.

The wrong site or a parking page appears

1. Check that the records really point at Orbit and not at your old platform.
2. Wait for the old records to expire. Their time to live decides how long the old answer stays in use.
3. Test in a private browser window, or on a phone using mobile data, before you decide it is broken. Your browser and your network both cache the old answer.

If it still does not work

If the domain has been set up for more than 48 hours and still fails, contact support with two screenshots: the Domains page showing the status, and the DNS records as they appear at your domain provider. That pair answers most remaining cases in one reply.

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