ChanTan Studio DocsHow to Buy a Domain in ChanTan Studio
Search, choose and buy your own domain name inside ChanTan Studio. You're only charged if the domain is actually secured, and the DNS setup is done for you.
You can search for and buy a domain (like mystore.com) without leaving ChanTan Studio — and the technical setup is done for you. As the product puts it: "Search & register a name — we set it up automatically."
Good to know before you start:
- Your site goes live on a free address first (about 1–4 minutes) — then you pick and buy your domain on top of it.
- Payment goes through Stripe's secure checkout. ChanTan never sees your card number.
- You're only charged if the domain is actually secured. If the registrar — the company that officially issues domain names — can't complete the order, the hold on your card is released.
- "FROM $1/YEAR" on the "Buy a domain" card is a badge, not your price. Real prices differ by name and by extension, and renewals cost more than the first year. See domain renewals and pricing before you budget.
1. Publish your app first
Press "Publish" — the last item in your project header (on a phone, the round rocket icon at the end of the header row). Choose the "Free address" card, pick your address name on the "Pick your free address" screen, and press "Publish my app". Your app goes live in about 1–4 minutes. The full flow, including the naming rules, is in how to publish your app.
2. Open the domain section and search
Three ways to reach the domain section:
- During the first publish: choose the "Buy a domain" card in the "Where will people visit your site?" window.
- Any time later: press "Publish" (now reading "Update") and use the domain section of the "Your published app" window.
- Or open "Manage ▾" → "Domain" (this menu item appears once your app is published).
There, type a brand name (like mybrand) or a full domain (like mybrand.io).
ChanTan shows availability across extensions — .com .net .org .co .io .ai .app .shop .store .online .site .xyz .dev .studio — plus a "Recommended" list of variations.
Each result means something specific:
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Available · {price} / first year" | You can buy it — this is the real price |
| "Available" | Buyable, price still loading |
| "Premium name" | A short, high-value name the registrar prices far above normal — it can't be bought here |
| "Not available" / "Taken" | Someone already owns it |
Press "Choose" on the one you want.
3. Check the price
The checkout card shows the exact price for the first year. That quote is held for 10 minutes. If it expires, a fresh quote is fetched automatically — and if the price changed in the meantime, the purchase is refused rather than silently charging you more.
⚠️ About renewal: your registration is for 1 year, and it does not renew automatically today. Write down the expiry date shown on your domain card ("Expires {date}") and contact support well before it to arrange renewal. Losing a domain by letting it lapse is not something ChanTan can undo.
4. Fill in the owner details
Domain registrars legally require the owner's real details. Under "Who owns this domain" and "Billing address", fill in: first name, last name, email, phone, address, city, state or region, postal code and country. (Organisation and apartment are optional.)
If something's missing you'll see "Please complete: {fields}." Your contact details are stored encrypted.
5. Pay through Stripe
Press "Continue to secure checkout". You go to Stripe's own hosted payment page — ChanTan never sees your card number.
Your card is authorised first and only charged after the domain is actually secured. An authorisation is a temporary hold on your card, not a charge — if the purchase doesn't complete, the hold is released and no money leaves your account.
6. Come back and watch it complete
Back in ChanTan you'll see "Verifying your domain" — five steps run automatically: verifying payment → booking with the registrar → saving it to your project → configuring DNS for you → final check. Keep the tab open.
✅ Done! The best outcome is "Domain connected" — open your site on its new address. Almost as good: "Domain booked. SSL is setting up" — the domain is yours, DNS is configured, and it's "usually ready within 30 minutes". You can close the page.
📌 Always note the "Order {id}" shown on that screen — it's the reference support needs if anything ever comes up.
Other outcomes, in plain words:
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Domain booked. Setup needs attention" | The domain is yours; setup needs a look. Checking continues automatically — you can press "Check now". |
| "Domain was not booked" | The registrar didn't complete it. You were not charged. |
| "Domain booked. Payment needs attention" | The domain is yours but the payment needs a human — contact support with your order id. |
| "Checkout canceled" | You cancelled at Stripe. Nothing booked, nothing charged. |
After the purchase
- DNS is configured for you — you add nothing, anywhere.
- Your domain card shows "Expires {date}" and the tag "Purchased".
- ChanTan keeps checking the connection automatically for 48 hours; after that, press "Check now" any time.
- For ChanTan-bought domains you also get a small "Manage DNS" editor — the two records ChanTan needs are marked "Protected" and can't be broken, and "Repair" puts them back if anything goes wrong.
Refunds and problems
- No charge if the domain was not secured — the temporary hold on your card is released.
- If a result is genuinely uncertain, ChanTan deliberately does not cancel the authorisation and does not risk buying the domain twice — the order goes to review and you're told your payment has not been taken.
- There's no self-service refund button: every problem path points to support, with your order id.
Moving your domain elsewhere later
The domain you bought is yours. Transferring it to another registrar needs an authorisation code — there's no button for that in the product today, so contact support. Note: newly registered domains are locked by registrars for their first 60 days — that's an industry-wide rule, not a ChanTan one.