# Adding a domain

> Connect a domain you own to Faivelo.

Every mailbox in Faivelo lives on a domain you own. Adding a domain takes under a minute; getting mail flowing then just needs a few DNS records — which Faivelo can often add for you automatically.

## Before you start

You need a registered domain (like `yourcompany.com`) and access to wherever its DNS is managed — your registrar's dashboard, or an API key from it. Each domain can only be connected to one Faivelo account.

## Add the domain

1. Go to [faivelo.com/domains](https://faivelo.com/domains) in your dashboard.
2. Click **Add Domain**. A two-step dialog opens.
3. **Step 1 — Domain:** enter your domain name (e.g. `yourcompany.com`) and continue.
4. **Step 2 — DNS Setup:** Faivelo looks up your domain's nameservers and tells you which provider it detected — along with the nameservers it saw, so you can double-check.

  - If a supported provider is detected (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Route 53, or Hostinger), you can paste an API key and Faivelo will configure your DNS automatically. See [Automatic DNS setup](/domains/automatic-dns-setup) for where to get the key for each provider.
  - If you'd rather not share a key — or your provider isn't detected — just leave the field blank. You'll add the records manually; it only takes a minute.
5. Click **Add Domain**.

<docs-aside title="Your API key is checked first" type="tip">

If you provide an API key, Faivelo tests it against your DNS zone *before* doing anything else. A wrong key or an inaccessible zone fails immediately with a clear message, so you can fix it and retry — nothing is left half-configured.

</docs-aside>

## What happens next

When you add a domain, Faivelo:

1. **Provisions it on the mail server**, ready to host mailboxes.
2. **Registers it with the sending relay** so outbound mail is signed (DKIM) and delivered from your domain, not a third party's.
3. **Generates your full DNS record set** — MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, plus records for secure transport and mail-client auto-configuration. See [Manual DNS records](/domains/manual-dns-records) for the complete list.
4. **Pushes the records to your registrar automatically**, if you provided an API key.
5. **Starts checking your DNS** in the background — first after about 30 seconds, then again over the next few minutes, and every few minutes after that until everything verifies.

You land on the domain's page, where each DNS record shows a live status: **Verified**, **Pending**, or **Mismatch**. In the domain list, the domain shows a **Pending DNS** badge until every record checks out, then flips to **Verified**.

You can create mailboxes right away, but mail won't reliably arrive or deliver until the domain's DNS is verified — treat verification as the finish line before you start using addresses in the wild.

## Next steps

- [Set up DNS automatically](/domains/automatic-dns-setup) with a registrar API key
- [Add the records manually](/domains/manual-dns-records) at any DNS provider
- [How verification works](/domains/verification)