Custom URLs association to your instance

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Custom URLs association to your instance

    ServiceNow enables your instance to be accessed via company-branded or custom URLs, enhancing your organization's branding and user experience. Custom URLs can be linked to specific service portals, allowing distinct URLs for different departments or functions—for example, a URL for Customer Service Management (CSM) and another for Human Resources (HR).

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    Custom URLs support user redirection to different Identity Providers (IdPs) based on the accessed URL, improving authentication flows. This feature is available starting from the Tokyo release with auto-redirect capabilities, but it is not available for on-premises or developer instances. The URLs must be public-facing, and only the owner of the top-level domain (TLD) or subdomain can configure these URLs.

    Key Features

    • Multiple Custom URLs: Associate multiple branded URLs to the same instance or portal, such as support.acme.com for support and hr.acme.com for HR portals.
    • IdP Auto-Redirect: Automatically redirect users to the appropriate Identity Provider based on the custom URL accessed (available from Tokyo release onward).
    • Domain Ownership Requirement: You must own or purchase the domain used for the custom URL and configure DNS settings accordingly.
    • Alias (CNAME) Usage: Custom URLs function as CNAME aliases pointing to your ServiceNow instance’s original domain.
    • Domain Limit: Limit of 100 domains per instance to prevent management issues.

    Important Considerations and Best Practices

    • Before associating a custom URL, ensure you own the domain and set the CNAME DNS record pointing to your ServiceNow instance URL.
    • When deleting or updating custom URLs, first remove the custom URL record from your ServiceNow instance, then update or delete the DNS entries. Reversing this order can block deletion of records.
    • Custom URLs must be public-facing; internal-only URLs are not supported.
    • Custom URLs are not supported on on-premise or developer instances.

    Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers

    By implementing custom URLs, you can provide users with a branded, intuitive experience aligned to your company’s domain structure. This helps in segregating portals logically, directing users to the correct authentication provider, and simplifying URL management. Following the correct DNS and instance record management sequence ensures smooth creation, update, and removal of custom URLs without causing service disruptions.

    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.