# Subdomain setup - grok.davidtphung.com

The case study site is set up to live at **`grok.davidtphung.com`** - short, memorable, and instantly tells anyone what they're about to see. The subdomain has already been added to the Vercel project; one DNS record in GoDaddy and it's live.

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## Why this subdomain

| Option | Length | Memorable? | On-brand? |
|---|---|---|---|
| **`grok.davidtphung.com`** ✓ | 23 chars | Yes - names the subject directly | Yes - case study is literally about Grok |
| `xai.davidtphung.com` | 22 chars | Yes - names the company | Less specific |
| `case.davidtphung.com` | 23 chars | Generic | No |
| `layer.davidtphung.com` | 24 chars | Matches the thesis | Requires context |
| `timeline.davidtphung.com` | 27 chars | Too long | OK |

`grok.davidtphung.com` wins on every axis: shortest meaningful subdomain, instantly understood by anyone in the xAI orbit, and it's tied to the product not the company so it survives if the case study is repurposed for other audiences.

---

## GoDaddy setup - one DNS record, ~5 minutes

### Step 1 - Open GoDaddy DNS for `davidtphung.com`

1. Log in at [godaddy.com](https://godaddy.com).
2. Click your name (top right) **My Products**.
3. Find `davidtphung.com` in the Domains list click the **DNS** button on that row.
4. You'll land on the **DNS Management** page for `davidtphung.com`.

### Step 2 - Add the A record

On the DNS Management page, scroll to the **Records** section and click **Add New Record**.

Fill in **exactly**:

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| **Type** | `A` |
| **Name** | `grok` |
| **Value** | `76.76.21.21` |
| **TTL** | `600 seconds` (or "1 hour" - whichever GoDaddy offers as shortest) |

Click **Save**.

### Step 3 - Wait for propagation

GoDaddy publishes the record in ~1–10 minutes. Vercel detects it automatically and provisions an SSL certificate within a couple minutes after that.

### Step 4 - Verify

Once propagated, these will all work:

- `https://grok.davidtphung.com` - the case study
- `https://grok.davidtphung.com/prototype.html` - the working prototype
- `https://grok.davidtphung.com/about.html` - the xAI-tailored about page

You can check propagation status anytime by running:

```bash
dig grok.davidtphung.com +short
# Expected output: 76.76.21.21
```

If you see `76.76.21.21`, it's live. Otherwise, give it another 5–10 minutes.

---

## What I've already done on my end

- Added `grok.davidtphung.com` to the Vercel project `case-study`.
- Vercel is waiting for the DNS record to verify.
- SSL will be issued automatically by Vercel once verified - no certificate setup needed on your side.

---

## Fallback URL while DNS propagates

The site is already live at the Vercel default URL: [case-study-black.vercel.app](https://case-study-black.vercel.app)

That URL continues to work even after the custom subdomain is set up - both serve the same content.

---

## If GoDaddy already has an `A` record for `grok`

GoDaddy doesn't let you have two A records on the same host. If there's an existing entry on the `grok` host (rare - it would only exist if you'd previously pointed it somewhere), edit the existing record's value to `76.76.21.21` instead of adding a new one.

---

## Optional: also make `www.grok.davidtphung.com` work

Not recommended - it would just be a redirect and the short form is the brand. Skip unless you specifically want it.