Wordpress + Custom Domain + Vercel

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1

I have a Wordpress blog running on a custom domain (zeitgeist.digital) and I’d like to use the CMS with a Frontity frontend. So far, so good: I managed to create the app, run it locally, retrieve the posts, all awesome. I deployed it on Vercel and also all ok.

However, there is a problem I am not snatching: to make Frontity able to reach my WP posts, I must configure Frontity settings to pull the posts the custom domain. But I want to make the Vercel deployment the only frontend, therefore, pointing the domain to Vercel servers. Logically, when I do that, the Vercel deployment gets “blind” because it can no longer see the WP install I have somewhere else.

My question: is it possible to make the domain https://zeitgeist.digital/ to point to the Vercel deployment AND retrieve the posts from the original WP install? The obvious question for me is no, because of where the domain points too, but maybe I am missing something and the colleagues here manage to provide me some advice. It would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

2

Hello Cassiano,

Right now the only deployment approach that we support is for decoupled WordPress. Which means that you will have to move your WordPress away from your main domain.

Here you have a quick diagram explaining it:

Decoupled mode
Decoupled mode3506Ă—2959 322 KB

I think it’s worth mentioning that we are working in an official WordPress Plugin for Frontity that will enable an alternative architecture that we call “embedded mode”. The embedded mode will allow you to leave your WordPress under the main domain. If you are curious, we just explained it on our twitter account: https://twitter.com/frontity/status/1266081587835387905

3

Pablo, hello. Thanks for the insight. I had actually considered searching the URL of my “physical” install of Wordpress (that one with a long, gibberish-like URL) and decouple it from the domain.

I recall from all WP installs I done there was this low-level domain is generated per each install, but I don’t know how to find mine. My hosting provider for some reason can’t answer me. Any ideas of what I should look for?

Thanks in advance again!

4

Can’t you just ask your hosting provider to help you migrate your WordPress installation to a subdomain or to a different domain?

5

You mean like something.zeitgeist.digital? But If I do so, wouldn’t the domain, when pointing to vercel servers simpley “no longer see” subdomains?

8

Hi @cassiano.gobbet

In our docs (section Architecture) you have explained the expected infrastructure when creating a Frontity project

In terms of domains, the recommended approach in your case would be:

  • wp.zeitgeist.digital → this would be your wordpress installation serving the REST API and the domain you would use in your Frontity settings
  • zeitgeist.digital → this would be your “frontend”, this is your Frontity project deployed to Vercel (for example)

This domain configuration should be done from your domain provider Here you have an example of how to do this with GoDaddy

If you’re not able to do it on your own, we suggest you contact your domain provider so they can help to set this.

Hope this helps

10

Juan, first of all, thanks. I think I did everything by the book: created a WP blog on a subdomain of my domain, pointed the main domain to Vercel servers and created an A record within the domain pointing to the newly created subdomain (as instructed here).

It hasn’t worked, though. Somewhere on the way, the domain and DNS’s were wrongly configured. I will come back to this later as I am pressed by other things and can’t prioritise this, unfortunately. Thanks for the support!

11

Hello everyone, i have the same issue i installed the wordpress backend in a subdomain called wp.cristhianjhl.com and my frontend on vercel is with cristhianjhl.com domain. But, when i access to cristhianjhl.com homepage i get a 404 error because of CORS i hace SSL on my subdomain and my frontity settings is ok.

when i try to access to my backend i have this page
image

is something that i miss?

12

That sounds more like a problem with your WP installation than Frontity.

Is WP also installed on Vercel, and the (sub)domain configured correctly so it goes to the correct location?

13

Hello, i only have cristhianjhl.com and www.cristhianjhl.com registered on vercel, the screenshot is when i try to access to my wp backend vercel ask me to register this domain. This subdomain is installed in a third server provider (php server)

14

I checked the DNS settings of those domains and I see the following:

So you have to change the DNS settings for wp.cristhianjhl.com so it has an A-record to the IP address of your PHP server.

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15

Yea that was the problem. I created a A Record on my Vercel Settings and that solved the issues, thanks alot my friend. :clap:

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