Using custom domain from Reg123 on heroku

I wanted to use a domain I own for a small python app running on heroku.

Instead of using myapp.herokuapp.com, I wanted people to use mydomain.com to visit the site.

It was easy to set up from the heroklu side but it was trickier to sort out the DNS settings on my domain name provider, Reg123.

I was able to set up the www domain easily enough by setting the www CNAME to the server heroku provides under app > settings > domains > DNS target.

However I did know how to set up the root or "blank" domain. I learnt that is what you call the domain without www. in front of it.

When creating DNS records for blank domains they are often labelled/named using the @ symbol.

On Reg123 I didn't seem to be able to set the CNAME record for @ - whatever I put in there it froze.

I stumbled upon the solution by adding an @ A DNS record. A records expect the target to be an IP address not a URL.

I found the IP address for the heroku DNS target using the ping command in the terminal. Run

ping <name-of-server>.herokudns.com

This will return something similar to

PING <name-of-server>.herokudns.com (192.188.12.12): 56 data bytes

You are looking for the XXX.XXX.XX.XX bit. Copy and paste that into the A record for the @ domain.

I ended up with a set of DNS records in Reg123 that looked like this.