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Branded File Hosting: Configuring Your Custom Domain & Edge SSL

A complete networking and DNS tutorial for branding your uploads with your own custom domain, setting up CNAME and TXT records, Cloudflare edge proxying, and automated zero-touch SSL provisioning on X02.

By X02 Team · · Custom Domain, DNS, Cloudflare, DevOps, Branding, SSL, Pro

When sharing screenshots, software builds, or media assets with customers and communities, URL presentation matters. A generic file-sharing link like https://share-host-xyz.io/tmp/82910fa.png looks unverified, risks triggering corporate phishing filters, and misses a prime brand touchpoint.

In contrast, sharing links through https://img.yourcompany.com/report_q3.png or https://files.alex.dev/demo.mp4 establishes instant trust, protects brand equity, and reinforces developer credibility.

[!NOTE] This is a Pro plan feature. Every account already gets a free, zero-setup personal subdomain (https://yourusername.x02.me/i/...) — see How to Switch Between Short URLs and Subdomains for that. This guide covers Custom Domain, which lets Pro users serve files from a domain they personally own instead.

In this guide, we explore how custom domain routing works on X02, how to configure the required DNS records across popular DNS providers, and how automated TLS/SSL certificates are provisioned at the edge.

1. How Custom Domain Routing Operates

When a client requests an image from your custom domain, the request travels through X02's Cloudflare edge network before resolving the asset:

Architecture Diagram

Why This Requires Three DNS Records, Not One

Cloudflare needs to prove two separate things before it will route your domain's traffic and issue it a certificate: that you actually own the domain (an ownership TXT record), and that the SSL certificate can be validated (a separate _acme-challenge TXT record). Only once both checks pass does Cloudflare start routing the CNAME to X02's edge. Skipping either TXT record is the most common reason a custom domain gets stuck on "Pending."

2. DNS Configuration Step-by-Step

Setting up your custom domain requires adding three DNS records at your domain registrar or DNS provider. All three are generated for you automatically when you add the domain in your dashboard — you just copy them across.

Configuration Targets:

# Record Type Purpose Target / Value
1 CNAME Routes traffic to X02's edge x02.me
2 TXT Proves domain ownership to Cloudflare Unique value shown in your dashboard
3 TXT (_acme-challenge.*) Validates the SSL certificate Unique value shown in your dashboard

[!TIP] Your dashboard shows the exact Name/Host and Value for all three records, pre-filled for the specific domain you add — there's nothing to guess or copy from this guide.

3. Provider Setup Guides

1. Cloudflare DNS

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare Dashboard and select your domain.
  2. Navigate to DNS > Records > Add Record.
  3. Add the CNAME record: Name = your chosen prefix (e.g. img), Target = x02.me, Proxy Status = DNS Only (Grey Cloud) — do not proxy it, or Cloudflare cannot validate ownership through your own zone.
  4. Add both TXT records exactly as shown in your X02 dashboard (Name and Value, copied verbatim).
  5. Click Save for each record.

2. Namecheap / GoDaddy / Porkbun

  1. Open your domain's Advanced DNS Management panel.
  2. Add a CNAME Record: Host = your chosen prefix (e.g. img), Value / Target = x02.me.
  3. Add both TXT Records shown in your dashboard, using the exact Host/Name and Value fields provided.
  4. Set TTL to Automatic or 1 Hour and save.

4. Verifying & Activating Your Domain

Once your records propagate (usually 5–15 minutes, occasionally longer depending on your DNS provider):

  1. Head to your X02 Settings Dashboard.
  2. In the Custom Domain section, enter your full domain (e.g., img.yourbrand.com) and click Add Domain.
  3. Add the three DNS records shown to your provider as described above.
  4. The dashboard automatically re-checks your DNS every 20 seconds and shows a live Verified / Pending status per record — or click Verify Now to force an immediate check.
  5. Once all three records resolve, X02 issues a managed SSL certificate for your domain automatically and activates routing.
# Verify your DNS propagation via Terminal
dig CNAME img.yourbrand.com +short
# Output should return: x02.me

5. ShareX Integration with Branded URLs

After activating your custom domain in the X02 dashboard, your generated ShareX Custom Uploader (.sxcu) configuration automatically reflects your brand domain:

{
  "Version": "15.0.0",
  "Name": "My Branded Uploader",
  "DestinationType": "ImageUploader, FileUploader",
  "RequestMethod": "POST",
  "RequestURL": "https://x02.me/api/upload",
  "Headers": {
    "x-api-key": "x02_sec_YOUR_API_KEY"
  },
  "Body": "MultipartFormData",
  "FileFormName": "file",
  "URL": "https://img.yourbrand.com/$json:filename
quot;
}

Every screenshot you capture and hotkey-upload now copies a clean, branded link directly to your clipboard.

Summary

A custom domain transforms standard file hosting into a seamless extension of your company or creator identity. With automated DNS verification and edge SSL termination handled for you, setting up your branded file hub on X02's Pro plan takes only a few minutes of DNS configuration plus propagation time.

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