# Domain, Hosting, and Email Architecture Configuration

Our architecture will have 3 configuratons. The Registrar (Namecheap): Owns the domain registration. Holds the authoritative DNS Zone File. The Hosting Provider (Vercel): Serves the Next.js frontend code. The Email Provider (Resend): Sends verification OTPs and transactional emails.

Before pointing traffic anywhere, you must acquire the rights to the domain. Visit Namecheap.com and enter your name (e.g., ledgerlite.com).

#Check-out Configurations: Domain Privacy: Namecheap provides WhoisGuard for free forever. Ensure this toggle is Enabled. This masks your registrar details (your name, home address, and phone number) so they are hidden from public WHOIS scanners. Nameservers: Keep this set to Namecheap BasicDNS. Do not change this to custom nameservers, as we will manage the DNS records directly inside Namecheap. Finalize Purchase: Complete the transaction using your preferred payment method.

#step 2: Once the domain is registered, we must instruct the internet that typing your domain should pull files from Vercel's global CDN network. Add Domain in Vercel: Navigate to your project on the Vercel Dashboard. Click Settings → Domains → Enter your domain (e.g., ledgerlit.za) and click Add. The Redirect Option: Select the option to add both the apex domain (ledgerlit.za) and the subdomain (www.ledgerlit.za), redirecting one to the other. This ensures that users typing either format land on the same site. Retrieve Vercel DNS Records: Vercel will display a red "Invalid Configuration" status and show the target values you need to configure in Namecheap: a. An A Record for the apex domain (ledgerlit.za). b. A CNAME Record for the subdomain (www.ledgerlit.za).

step 3: Configuring Resend (Outbound Email) To prevent your emails from landing in the spam folder, major email providers (Gmail, Outlook) require strict email authentication records. Resend verifies this via DKIM, SPF, and MX.

Add Domain to Resend: Go to Resend Domains Settings →Click Add Domain, enter ledgerlit.za, and click Add. Understand the Verification Records: Resend will generate a set of records: DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Cryptographically signs emails sent from your app, proving they weren't altered in transit. SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Declares which IP addresses are authorized to send mail from your domain. MX (Mail Exchange): Points inbound mail routing. For Resend, this is used to track bounces and spam complaints.

step 4: The DNS Console Configuration (Namecheap) Now, we bring everything together inside the Namecheap DNS dashboard.

Go to your Namecheap Dashboard, find ledgerlit.za, and click Manage. Click the Advanced DNS tab at the top. Important: Delete any default templates, URL Redirect Records, or parking records created by Namecheap to avoid routing conflicts. Click Add New Record to add all Vercel and Resend records.

NB:When adding the DKIM TXT records, Namecheap automatically appends your domain name. If Resend gives you the host resend._domainkey.ledgerlit.za, you must only paste resend._domainkey as the Host inside Namecheap

NB: DNS Propagation: DNS records take time to replicate across routers. You can track progress globally using free tools like DNSChecker.org.

NB: Vercel SSL Issuance: Vercel handles SSL certificate updates automatically. Once the DNS check turns green, wait up to 10 minutes for Vercel to issue a Let's Encrypt certificate. Resend Domain Status: Go to Resend, click your domain, and click Verify. Once verified, your status turns to Verified (green), and you are ready to send emails.