JPPS

Adding a Website

Adding a Website

This is the core, everyday task in rust-proxy: telling it "when someone visits this domain name, send them to that website."

Before you start

You'll want to know two things:

  1. The domain name you're pointing here — e.g. app.example.com. This domain's DNS must already point at this server (that's a step you do with your domain registrar or DNS provider, separate from rust-proxy).
  2. Where the real website actually lives — usually something like 127.0.0.1:8000, meaning "on this same server, on port 8000." If the website is running on a different computer on your network, use that computer's address instead.

Adding the host

  1. In the admin panel, go to the Hosts tab.
  2. Click Add a host.
  3. Fill in:
    • Domain — the domain name visitors will type, e.g. app.example.com
    • Bind IPv4 / Bind IPv6 — which of this server's own network addresses to answer on. Leave these on "All interfaces" unless you specifically know you need to narrow it down — see Glossary for what "bind" means.
    • Bind port — almost always 443, the standard port for secure (HTTPS) websites
    • Upstream — where the real website lives, e.g. 127.0.0.1:8000
  4. Leave the checkboxes at their defaults unless you have a specific reason to change them:
    • Redirect HTTP → HTTPS — on by default; visitors who type http:// get automatically upgraded to the secure https:// version
    • Issue/renew a certificate automatically — on by default; this is what gets you the padlock icon, explained fully in HTTPS Certificates, Explained
  5. Click Add host.

Within moments, rust-proxy requests a free HTTPS certificate for your domain and starts routing traffic. No further action needed.

Checking it worked

Visit https://app.example.com (using your real domain) in a browser. You should see your website, with a padlock icon in the address bar.

If it doesn't work right away, the most common causes are:

Editing or removing a host

Every host in the Hosts table has Edit and Delete buttons. Editing opens the same form pre-filled with the host's current settings — change what you need and save.

A website that's really just a redirect

If you want a domain to simply forward visitors elsewhere (e.g. old.example.com → new.example.com) rather than serve a real website, fill in the Redirect section of the host form instead of (or in addition to) "Upstream." rust-proxy still gets this domain its own real HTTPS certificate, and everything else about it works the same way.

Next steps