Zero to Dollar | Build a Real App in 24 Hours

What we're doing

Right now your app lives at something like some-random-name.vercel.app. That works, but it doesn't look like a real product.

In this module, you buy a domain name (like yourbrand.com) and connect it to your app. Your customers' pages will be at yourbrand.com/page/their-username.

What is a domain?

A domain is your address on the internet.

Right now, people have to type some-random-name.vercel.app to find your app. With a domain, they type yourbrand.com. It's professional, it's memorable, and you own it.

Step 1: Buy a domain on Namecheap

Search for a domain

Go to namecheap.com
Type the domain you want in the search bar and hit search
Namecheap will show you if it's available and how much it costs

Tips for picking a good domain:

Keep it short — easier to type, easier to remember
Be creative — good .com names are almost always taken or expensive. Think like a brand: linky.io, pager.so, cardly.app, stackd.co
No hyphens or numbers — hard to say out loud, hard to type
Check social media too — if you want @yourbrand on Instagram, make sure that handle is available

Buy the domain

Click Add to Cart next to the domain you want
Click View Cart — skip any extras they suggest
You'll see a settings page for your domain. Leave everything on default.
Click Confirm Order
Create a Namecheap account (or log in if you have one)
Enter your payment details and complete the purchase — a domain costs around $10–15 per year

Verification

You own a domain. You can see it in your Namecheap dashboard under Domain List.

Step 2: Add your domain to Vercel

Before we touch Namecheap's settings, we need to tell Vercel about your new domain.

Add the domain in Vercel

Go to vercel.com and open your project — you'll see the Domains section directly on the project page
Click Add Existing

Type your domain (e.g., yourbrand.com) and click Add

Vercel will ask about a redirect and an environment — click Yes on the redirect and leave the environment set to Production. Leave everything else on default and click Save. You'll be taken back to the same page with your domains listed as unverified — that's normal.

Step 3: Point your domain to Vercel

Now go back to Namecheap and do the following:

Change nameservers in Namecheap

Go to namecheap.com and log in
Click Domain List in the left sidebar
Find your domain and click Manage

Scroll down to the Nameservers section

Click the dropdown — it probably says "Namecheap BasicDNS"

Change it to Custom DNS
Two input fields will appear. Enter:
- ns1.vercel-dns.com
- ns2.vercel-dns.com
Click the green checkmark to save

Now wait. It takes anywhere from a few minutes to 30 minutes for the change to take effect (in rare cases, up to 48 hours).

Verification

Go back to the Vercel page where you added your domain — you should now see blue checkmarks confirming your domain is configured.

Now open yourbrand.com in your browser — your app should load.

Step 4: Update Supabase and Stripe

Your app has a new address now, so Supabase and Stripe need to know about it — otherwise login and payments will break on the custom domain.

Update Supabase redirect URLs

Go to your Supabase dashboard → Authentication → URL Configuration

Update the Site URL to: https://yourbrand.com

In Redirect URLs, add: https://yourbrand.com/**

Keep the existing localhost and Vercel entries — you still need them for development
Save

Update Stripe redirect URL

Same as above, but for Stripe. The Agent handles the Stripe side via MCP — then it will give you one key to paste into Vercel.

Replace yourdomain.com in the prompt below with the actual domain you bought before sending it.

AI PromptUpdate Stripe webhook — Put this in your IDE

I now have a real domain at yourdomain.com . Using the Stripe MCP, register a production webhook en...

Click to expand

Update environment variables in Vercel

Go to your Vercel project → Settings → Environment Variables

Update STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET with the value the Agent gave you
Add or update NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL to https://yourdomain.com
Click Save and redeploy

Step 5: Test everything on your domain

Full test on your real domain

Open yourbrand.com in an incognito window
Sign up with a new test account
Build a page — add links, a bio, pick colors
Click Save
Go through the payment flow (use test card 4242 4242 4242 4242)
After payment, visit yourbrand.com/page/your-username
Your customer page should be live

Verification

Your app is live on a real domain. The URL works. Login works. Payments work. Public pages load at yourbrand.com/page/username.

This is a real app on the internet.

What about the old Vercel URL?

Your app still works at some-random-name.vercel.app — Vercel doesn't turn it off. Both URLs work.