Custom instance URLs

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Custom instance URLs

    ServiceNow allows you to enable your instance to be accessible via company-branded or custom URLs, enhancing brand alignment and user experience. Custom URLs can be linked to specific service portals, enabling differentiated access such assupport.acme.comfor Customer Service Management (CSM) portal andhr.acme.comfor HR portal. This capability supports directing users to distinct Identity Providers (IdPs) based on the accessed custom URL. Custom URLs require public-facing domains and are not available for on-premise or developer instances.

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    Key Features

    • Multiple Custom URLs: Your instance can have several custom URLs, including aliases (CNAMEs) of the original instance URL, and multiple URLs can point to the same service portal.
    • IdP Auto-Redirect: Starting with the Tokyo release, you can configure auto-redirects to specified IdPs per custom URL.
    • Domain Ownership Requirement: Only owners of the top-level domain or subdomains can configure custom URLs to DNS subdomains.
    • Limitations: A maximum of 100 custom domains per instance is recommended to avoid management issues.

    Important Considerations

    • Before associating a custom URL, you must own or purchase the domain from a domain provider.
    • Proper DNS configuration is essential; set the CNAME record with your DNS provider to point to your ServiceNow instance URL.
    • When updating or deleting CNAME records, first remove the custom URL records from the ServiceNow instance, then update or delete them from the DNS provider to prevent dangling DNS entries.
    • The custom URL must be public-facing to function correctly.

    Practical Outcomes

    By configuring custom instance URLs, ServiceNow customers can:

    • Provide users with company-branded URLs for better recognition and trust.
    • Associate different service portals with specific URLs, simplifying navigation and access control.
    • Implement tailored authentication flows by redirecting users to appropriate IdPs based on the custom URL accessed.
    • Manage multiple custom URLs efficiently within your instance, ensuring smooth DNS and instance-level configuration.

    You can enable your ServiceNow instance to be accessible from a company-branded or custom URL.

    Custom URL overview

    You can use custom URL to enable ServiceNow instance to be accessible from one or more company-branded or custom URLs.

    Custom URLs can be associated with specific portal. For example, admin can define http://support.acme.com for CSM portal and http://hr.acme.com for HR portal. In such situation there is a need to redirect users to different IdPs for authentication on the basis of the custom URL that users are accessing.

    Important:
    • Do not create a custom URL with more than 100 domains per instance.
    • You must delete custom URL record from ServiceNow instance first and then delete any Domain Name Server (DNS) entries from the DNS server.
    • Any deletion of DNS entry from DNS server prior to deletion of custom URL record from ServiceNow instance would result in blocking the deletion of other corresponding custom URL records from ServiceNow.

    From Tokyo, you can allow users to auto-redirect to specified IdPs defined at the custom URL record.

    Note:
    Custom URLs are not available for on-premise customers or developer instances. Also, the URL must be public-facing.
    Only the owner of the top-level domain (TLD) or any subdomain can configure the custom URL to a DNS subdomain. For example, your instance might have the following designated URL and additional custom URLs:
    Table 1. Custom URL example
    Example URLs Usage
    https://acme.service-now.com The initial domain name for Acme that came with the ServiceNow instance.
    https://support.acme.com A custom URL that associates to your ServiceNow instance. This URL is referred to as an alias (CNAME) of the initial domain name.
    https://US-support.acme.com A secondary custom URL that associates to a service portal on your instance. Your instance can support multiple custom URLs to the same service portal.

    Custom URL considerations outside of your instance

    Before you can associate a custom URL, you must own (or purchase) a URL through a domain provider. There are also specific configurations necessary before you can create and associate a custom URL on your instance.
    Table 2. Custom URL configurations
    Configuration items Description
    Set the CNAME with the provider The CNAME record must be set as the ServiceNow instance URL.
    Determine your dedicated VIP status The status of VIP.
    Note:
    When deleting or updating CNAME records which point to your instance, you must follow this sequence to avoid dangling records in the instance. First, delete the CNAME records from your instance and then remove or update the CNAME setting at your DNS provider.