The Hidden Challenges of SSL and Custom Domains for SaaS Providers: A Solo Developer’s Six-Month Struggle

As SaaS entrepreneurs and developers, we’re all too familiar with the complexities of delivering seamless experiences to our users—especially when it comes to custom branding and domain management. Recently, I’ve found myself immersed in a particularly challenging situation that underscored just how intricate handling custom domains and SSL certificates can be, even for a solo developer.

The Scenario: Supporting Custom Domains for Client Applications

My latest project involved enabling a business’s customers to use their own vanity domains—think app.theircompany.com rather than a generic subdomain hosted on my platform. At first glance, this seems straightforward: set up DNS records, issue SSL certificates, and you’re good to go. However, the reality was far more complicated.

A Six-Month Odyssey of Infrastructure Troubleshooting

What began as a relatively simple feature quickly turned into a six-month ordeal. The challenge was to build a reliable, automated system capable of handling domain validation, SSL certificate procurement, and seamless renewal—across diverse customer domains with varying DNS configurations. This involved deep dives into DNS validation protocols, automating certificate management with Let’s Encrypt or similar services, and ensuring reliability at scale.

Throughout this process, I encountered numerous hurdles, from SSL renewal failures to DNS propagation delays. These issues often distracted me from refining the core product features I initially set out to develop, consuming countless hours trying to troubleshoot and automate the process.

Is This a Common Pain Point?

This experience has led me to question whether others in the SaaS space face similar obstacles. Specifically:

• How are companies currently managing custom domains for their users?
• What challenges do they encounter in automating SSL certification and domain validation?
• Have others attempted building internal solutions, and what obstacles arose?
• Would a self-service platform that streamlines domain pointing, validation, and SSL renewal be a game-changer?

Your Input Matters

If you’re a SaaS builder dealing with custom domains, SSL management, or both, I’d love to hear about your experiences. Do these processes cause headaches or delays? Have you found effective ways to automate or simplify them? Would a comprehensive, user-friendly solution make your life easier?

Sharing insights or solutions could help us all conquer this common yet often overlooked challenge. Let’s discuss and learn from each other’s journeys.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your thoughts