DEV Community

Nurman Tri Gumelar
Nurman Tri Gumelar

Posted on Originally published at devs.li

How to Connect a Free Custom Subdomain to GitHub Pages, Vercel, or VPS in 60 Seconds

#webdev #tutorial #devops #opensource

When building side projects, portfolios, or APIs, default deployment domains like username.github.io/project or my-app.vercel.app often feel unpolished. But buying and managing a brand-new $12+/year top-level domain for every prototype or hobby build quickly adds up.

In this guide, we'll walk through how you can point a clean, free developer subdomain (e.g. yourapp.devs.li) to GitHub Pages, Vercel, or your VPS / Homelab in under 60 seconds with instant DNS propagation.

Why Use a Custom Subdomain?

  1. Professional Identity: portfolio.devs.li looks significantly cleaner on resumes and LinkedIn than long platform URLs.
  2. Multi-Project Staging: Easily create subdomains for staging, API endpoints (api-test.devs.li), and microservices.
  3. Zero Cost Friction: Perfect for open source projects, hackathons, and student portfolios without recurrent domain renewal fees.

Option 1: Connecting to GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages allows you to assign custom domains for free directly in your repository settings.

Step 1: Claim your free subdomain on DEVS.LI

  1. Head over to devs.li and enter your desired subdomain (e.g., myportfolio).
  2. Select CNAME as the record type.
  3. In the Target field, enter your GitHub Pages default domain: 
   <your-github-username>.github.io
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  1. Click Create Subdomain. DNS records are provisioned instantly via Cloud DNS APIs.

Step 2: Configure your GitHub Repository

  1. In your GitHub repository, navigate to Settings > Pages.
  2. Under Custom domain, enter your new subdomain: myportfolio.devs.li.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Check Enforce HTTPS once DNS check passes (GitHub automatically provisions a free Let's Encrypt TLS certificate).

Option 2: Connecting to Vercel Deployments

If your frontend is built with Next.js, React, Astro, or SvelteKit on Vercel:

  1. In your Vercel project dashboard, go to Settings > Domains.
  2. Add your subdomain: myapp.devs.li.
  3. Claim the subdomain on devs.li with a CNAME record pointing to: 
   cname.vercel-dns.com
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  1. Within seconds, Vercel will verify the record and issue an SSL certificate automatically.

Option 3: Connecting to Linux VPS, Cloudflare Pages, or Homelabs

For full-stack projects running on DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS, or local homelabs:

  • For VPS (A Record): Select A record type and enter your server public IP (e.g., 123.45.67.89).
  • For IPv6 (AAAA Record): Point directly to your server's IPv6 address.
  • For Cloudflare Pages: Create a CNAME pointing to <project>.pages.dev.

What is DEVS.LI?

DEVS.LI is a lightweight, community-friendly platform created by developers for developers. It offers:

  • ⚡ Instant DNS Sync: Cloud-grade DNS propagation powered by DigitalOcean infrastructure.
  • 🔒 SSL/TLS Ready: Works seamlessly with Let's Encrypt, Cloudflare, Vercel, and GitHub SSL certificates.
  • 🎯 A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT Records: Full control over your DNS routing.
  • 🛡️ Zero Tracking, 100% Free: No credit cards, no auto-renew traps, and no bloated ads.

Try claiming your developer subdomain at https://devs.li and share your live projects with the community!

Feel free to leave a comment below if you run into any DNS routing issues with your deployment setup!

Top comments (0)