Draft Mode Guide

OpenSRS Cloud Hosting is currently in closed beta and is available only to participating resellers. To sign up for Cloud Hosting, visit opensrs.com/hosting

Draft Mode is a protected environment where you can build and preview your site before making it publicly accessible. All new hosting sites start in Draft Mode automatically.

Site Initialization

Once you place an order and complete initial setup, your site enters an initialization stage. During this time, your pods and containers are created, a default installation image is applied, and any custom settings or imported content are configured.

This typically takes between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on current load and whether you are importing an existing site.

When initialization is complete, your site will be ready to use in Draft Mode.

Building in Draft Mode

While in Draft Mode, your site is fully functional for building and previewing — but not accessible to the public.

Every site in Draft Mode is assigned a default cloud hosting domain in the following format:

<unique-id>.draft.hostpreview.site

This URL is token-protected, meaning only authenticated users can access it. You can:

• Access your draft site directly from the Hosting Manager
• Generate a shareable token link to send a preview to your client

Sharing Draft Site

To share a preview of your draft site with a client or teammate:

1. While in Draft Mode:
   1. Click Share Preview in the top-right corner of the Hosting Manager, or
   2. Navigate to the Overview tab, click the three-dot menu beside your domain name, and select Share Preview.
2. Select a token expiry window: 24 hours, 7 days, or 15 days.
3. Click Copy Link and share it with your recipient.

Preview links are token-protected. The token is saved to the recipient's browser - anyone with the link and a valid token can access the preview. There is currently no way to revoke a token once it has been generated.

Going Live

When your site is ready to launch, you need to complete two steps before it can go live.

Step 1: Add a Custom Domain

You must link at least one custom domain to your site before activating it. If you did not add a custom domain during site creation, you can do so from the Overview tab:

1. Click the Add Domain button in Overview.
2. Enter your domain name and click Add Domain.

Step 2: Configure SSL/TLS

After adding a domain, you will immediately be guided through SSL/TLS setup. This requires adding a _acme-challenge CNAME record at your DNS provider, which the platform will validate and use to issue your certificate.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions and add the required CNAME record at your DNS provider.
   • If you're not ready to make the DNS change yet, click Do It Later. You'll be returned to the Overview tab, where you can resume by clicking Configure SSL/TLS beside your domain when ready.
2. Once you've made the CNAME change, click Okay, I've done it.

This acknowledges your DNS setup and kicks off two-stage SSL issuance:

• Verifying DNS - the platform checks that your _acme-challenge CNAME record is correct.
• Issuing SSL - once DNS is verified, your certificate is issued and installed.

Completing this step also activates your site, transitioning it from Draft to Active.

See: Troubleshooting SSL Issuance

Activating Your Site

Once you confirm that DNS has been set up for your first domain, and the platform initiates DNS verification to issue a certificate, your site transitions from Draft to Active. At this point:

• Your default URL is updated to <unique-id>.live.hostpreview.site
• Token-based access protection is removed
• DNS begins resolving if your domain is pointing to our platform
• Your site becomes publicly accessible

See: Site Statuses

Important Notes

Draft Mode is permanent once exited. Once a site is Active, it cannot be returned to Draft Mode.

SSL/TLS Certificate Setup Flow

Certificate setup happens in two stages:

1. DNS Verification — the platform checks that your _acme-challenge CNAME record has been entered correctly.
2. Certificate Issuance — once DNS is verified, the certificate is issued.

If certificate issuance fails due to a missing or incorrect CNAME record, the process will not complete and you will need to restart SSL/TLS setup from the Hosting Manager. Your site will not return to Draft Mode.

Keep the _acme-challenge CNAME Record

Do not remove the _acme-challenge CNAME record after your certificate has been issued. It is required for automatic certificate renewal — removing it will cause your certificate to expire.

Pointing Your DNS

For new or blank sites, you can copy and apply your DNS records immediately after configuring SSL/TLS. For existing sites being migrated, wait until SSL/TLS setup is fully complete before pointing your domain to us. Updating DNS too early may cause your existing site to go down if DNS propagates before the certificate is ready.

DNS Configuration

DNS setup at your domain provider is a separate step performed after your site goes live. Full DNS instructions for your custom domain are available in the Connectivity tab of the Hosting Manager once your site is Active.

This document contains confidential and proprietary information intended solely for the use of OpenSRS Cloud Hosting customers. Unauthorized distribution, reproduction, or disclosure of any part of this document is strictly prohibited.