🔄 Custom Subdomain Forwarding with Cloudflare

A simple guide to forward custom subdomains to free Bento and Linktree pages using Cloudflare.

🎯 What We're Building

Subdomain	Forwards To
iam.nikhilmishra.live	bento.me/kaalpanikh
links.nikhilmishra.live	linktr.ee/kaalpanikh

🔄 How It Works

graph LR
    A[User] -->|Visits| B[iam.nikhilmishra.live]
    A -->|Visits| C[links.nikhilmishra.live]
    
    subgraph Cloudflare
        B -->|DNS Record| D[CNAME to @]
        C -->|DNS Record| E[CNAME to @]
        D -->|Page Rule| F[301 Redirect]
        E -->|Page Rule| G[301 Redirect]
    end
    
    F -->|Forwards to| H[bento.me/kaalpanikh]
    G -->|Forwards to| I[linktr.ee/kaalpanikh]

    style Cloudflare fill:#F6821F,stroke:#F6821F,stroke-width:2px
    style H fill:#5D45F9,stroke:#5D45F9,stroke-width:2px
    style I fill:#39E09B,stroke:#39E09B,stroke-width:2px

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Note: This setup uses Cloudflare as a workaround since free Bento and Linktree plans don't support custom domains.

📝 Step-by-Step Guide

1️⃣ Create DNS Records

1. Log in to your Cloudflare Dashboard
2. Select your domain: nikhilmishra.live
3. Go to DNS → Records
4. Add the following records:

For Bento Profile

Type: CNAME
Name: iam
Target: @
Proxy: ✅ Enabled (Orange Cloud)

For Linktree Profile

Type: CNAME
Name: links
Target: @
Proxy: ✅ Enabled (Orange Cloud)

2️⃣ Set Up Page Rules

1. Navigate to Rules → Page Rules
2. Create two page rules:

Bento Redirect

URL Pattern: https://iam.nikhilmishra.live/*
Forward to: https://bento.me/kaalpanikh
Status: 301 (Permanent Redirect)

Linktree Redirect

URL Pattern: https://links.nikhilmishra.live/*
Forward to: https://linktr.ee/kaalpanikh
Status: 301 (Permanent Redirect)

3️⃣ Verify Setup

After DNS propagation (usually 5-10 minutes):

1. Visit iam.nikhilmishra.live
   • Should redirect to your Bento profile
2. Visit links.nikhilmishra.live
   • Should redirect to your Linktree profile

⚠️ Troubleshooting

If redirects aren't working:

1. Check if Cloudflare proxy is enabled (orange cloud)
2. Verify page rules are in the correct order
3. Clear your browser cache
4. Wait a few more minutes for DNS propagation

🔗 Useful Links

• Cloudflare Dashboard
• Bento Profile
• Linktree Profile