Prerequisites

• A domain registered with or managed through Hostinger
• Your Tunnelwise unique URL (e.g., your-tunnel.tunnelwise.io)
• Access to your Hostinger account and hPanel

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Access hPanel

• Log in to your Hostinger account
• Navigate to the hPanel dashboard
• Find your domain in the list and click Manage

2. Navigate to DNS Zone Editor

• In the domain management panel, scroll to the Advanced section
• Click on DNS Zone Editor or DNS / Nameservers
• You'll see the DNS zone editor with all your existing records

3. Create a New CNAME Record

• Look for the Add New Record section or Create a new DNS record button
• Select CNAME from the Type dropdown
• Configure the record with the following settings:

Important: Do NOT add your domain name after the subdomain. Hostinger automatically appends it.

• ✅ Correct: tunnel
• ❌ Wrong: tunnel.yourdomain.com

4. Save the Record

• Click Add Record or Save
• The new CNAME record will appear in your DNS records list
• You should see a success message confirming the record was added

Verification

DNS Propagation

DNS changes typically propagate within 30 minutes on Hostinger, but can take up to 24 hours globally. You can check the propagation status using:

# Check if your CNAME is resolving correctly
dig your-subdomain.yourdomain.com CNAME

# Or using nslookup
nslookup your-subdomain.yourdomain.com

Testing Your Custom Domain

Once DNS has propagated:

1. Open Tunnelwise
2. Start a tunnel with your custom domain
3. Visit https://your-subdomain.yourdomain.com in your browser
4. You should see your local application

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Record Not Appearing

Problem: The CNAME record doesn't show in the DNS zone after saving

Solution:

• Refresh the DNS Zone Editor page
• Check if you have reached the maximum number of DNS records (rare)
• Try clearing your browser cache and logging in again

2. Subdomain Conflicts

Problem: Error message saying the subdomain already exists

Solution:

• Check for existing A, AAAA, or CNAME records with the same subdomain
• Delete or modify the conflicting record before adding your new CNAME

Hostinger-Specific Settings

DNS Management Levels

Hostinger has different DNS management interfaces depending on your plan:

• Shared Hosting: Use hPanel DNS Zone Editor
• Cloud Hosting: Advanced DNS management available
• VPS: Full DNS control via WHM/cPanel

TTL (Time To Live) Settings

Hostinger's default TTL values:

• Minimum: 300 seconds (5 minutes)
• Default: 14400 seconds (4 hours)
• Maximum: 86400 seconds (24 hours)

Lower TTL values mean faster propagation but more DNS queries.

Still Need Help?

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide:

1. Check the Tunnelwise Documentation
2. Review existing and closed issues on Github. If you can't find a related issue, feel free to open one
3. Visit the Hostinger Knowledge Base for DNS tutorials