Your app on a domain with HTTPS, without hand-editing nginx

Give your app a free subdomain or your own domain, and the panel creates the nginx proxy to your app's port with a certificate included. If you edit the config and something breaks, it reverts to the previous one on its own.

  • Free subdomain
  • Automatic Let's Encrypt
  • nginx config with rollback

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Here's what it looks like in the panel

Real screenshots of the ArduMaker panel, not mockups.

Domains and SSL: VPS domains
VPS domains. Each domain with its certificate and the app it serves.

Publishing is no longer an afternoon of DNS and certificates

From your app's port to a padlocked URL, in one step.

  • Free subdomains: Like your-app.arducloud.com, with the DNS record created for you and SSL handled by Cloudflare.
  • Your own domain: Let's Encrypt certificate issued automatically with certbot.
  • Check before you configure: A button confirms your domain already points to the VPS before you set it up.
  • Reverse proxy in one step: nginx routes your domain to your app's port, over HTTPS.
  • Safe nginx editor: You edit each domain's config; on save it is validated with nginx -t and, if that fails, the previous one is restored automatically.
  • All in one list: Your VPS domains with their port, certificate, logs and linked repo.
  • Port forwarding: Expose any internal VPS port (TCP or UDP) on a public port of the host.
  • SSH that closes itself: The port 22 forward can close on its own after however many hours you pick.
  • No forgotten renewals: The certificate renews itself. An SSL that expires on a Sunday night is a classic that doesn't happen here.
  • Editable nginx: The config that gets generated is plain nginx you can read and adjust, not a black box.

From port to padlocked URL

  1. Pick the domain: A free subdomain or your own, pointed at the VPS.
  2. Give it your app's port: 3000 or 8080, for example.
  3. Done: nginx and the certificate are configured; if you deployed from GitHub, it is linked to the repo.

How it works under the hood, and what to watch for

What you should know before you start, no fine print.

  • What gets generated is plain nginx acting as a reverse proxy to your app's port. You can read it and edit it: there is no proprietary layer in between.
  • When you save a config change it is validated with nginx -t before being applied. If the test or the reload fails, the previous one is restored on its own: the state of "I broke nginx and now the site is down" doesn't exist.
  • On arducloud.com subdomains the certificate comes from Cloudflare; on your own domain it is issued and renewed on its own with Let's Encrypt and certbot.
  • For your own domain, DNS has to point to the VPS before you create the forward. There is a button that checks it so you don't configure against DNS that hasn't propagated yet.
  • Free subdomains accept one or two segments of at least 3 alphanumeric characters. Deleting one also deletes its DNS record.
  • Port forwards expose any internal VPS port, TCP or UDP, on a public port of the host. That is what you use for something that isn't HTTP and can't sit behind nginx.
  • The port 22 forward accepts an automatic close in hours: you open SSH to do one specific thing and it closes when the time is up, even if you forget. Most ports left open are exactly that, something someone forgot.
  • Certificates for the platform domains are not included in the VPS backup; the ones for your own domains are.
  • The VPS nginx and its logs need systemd running. Verified in production on Ubuntu 22.04 and compatible with 18.04, 20.04, 24.04 and 26.04.
  • Real root over SSH: the panel is a shortcut, not a cage. Anything it does with a button, you can also do by hand.

Or just ask Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor

Everything you see in the panel, your AI agent can do through the ArduMaker MCP server: with your authorization, within the scope you grant, and with every action audited. See what the MCP does

Domains and SSL: frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay for or configure the SSL?

No. On arducloud.com subdomains Cloudflare provides it, and on your domain it is issued on its own with Let's Encrypt.

What if I break the nginx config?

It is validated before being applied; if the test or the reload fails, it goes back to the previous config on its own.

Can I use my own domain?

Yes: point it at the VPS, verify it from the panel and create the forward with a certificate.

Can I open SSH for just a while?

Yes, the port 22 forward accepts an automatic close in hours.

Do I have to renew the certificate by hand?

No, it renews itself. It is the most common reason a small site goes down: the certificate expired and nobody was watching.

Why do I get a 502 after publishing a domain?

Almost always because nginx is pointing at a port with nothing listening on it: the app didn't start, it crashed, or it ended up listening on another port. The service status and the VPS nginx logs show you that from the panel.

Can I touch the nginx config?

Yes. What gets generated is plain nginx and you can read and edit it from the panel or over SSH.

Services that go well together

Everything runs on the same VPS and is managed from the same panel.

  • GitHub deploys: Link a repo and every push to your chosen branch updates your app on the VPS, with build and restart scripts.
  • Email on your own domain: Mailboxes on your domain, aliases, bot accounts for integrations and DNS verified in real time.
  • n8n: Automations with queue-mode workers, Postgres and Redis included, a custom domain with HTTPS, and updates with rollback.

Your next app, padlocked from day one Domains and SSL included in every VPS panel. Not a separate product: it's in the panel of every ArduMaker VPS, right next to real root over SSH. See plans

How it works under the hood

The technical documentation for what this page covers: what each tool does, what changes, how to verify it and which MCP tools operate it.

  • Nginx: Two-layer reverse proxy: TLS on the host and per-domain server blocks inside the VPS, with testing and automatic rollback.
  • SSL certificates: HTTPS for every VPS domain: the ArduMaker zone wildcard or a Let's Encrypt certificate issued when the domain is activated.
  • Domains and DNS: Company DNS zones in Cloudflare, records with guards for MX, NS and apex, and subdomains of the ArduMaker zone.

All the documentation

Compare it with other platforms

Comparisons built on public data and sources, which also say when the other option is the better fit.

See all comparisons