How to Put a Shutdown Page on Your Domain Without a Server

When you decide to close your product, the last thing you want is to manage infrastructure. But your domain still needs to point somewhere. Here's how to show a proper shutdown page on your domain without running a single server.

The Problem

Your app is down. The server is off. But yourapp.com is still live in bookmarks, in old tweets, in the Wayback Machine. When someone visits, they get a connection timeout or a blank page — not the closure and context they deserve.

You need a page. You don't need a server to serve it.

Option 1: DNS Redirect to ExitPage (Easiest)

The simplest path: create your exit page at yourapp.exitpage.one, then redirect your domain there.

For the root domain (yourapp.com):

Go to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Namecheap, etc.) and set:

Type: CNAME
Name: @
Value: cname.exitpage.one

If your DNS provider doesn't support CNAME on the root (most managed ones do via ALIAS/ANAME records), use a URL redirect rule instead — most registrars offer this for free.

For www.yourapp.com:

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: cname.exitpage.one

That's it. No build steps, no hosting account, no deployment pipeline.

Option 2: Cloudflare Redirect Rules (No Hosting Needed)

If your domain is behind Cloudflare (free tier works), you can redirect your domain to any URL without owning a server:

1. Go to Rules → Redirect Rules in your Cloudflare dashboard
2. Create a rule: when the hostname matches yourapp.com, redirect to https://yourapp.exitpage.one
3. Set it to a 301 permanent redirect

This means Cloudflare handles all the traffic and redirects visitors before any server is involved. Free, instant, zero maintenance.

Option 3: GitHub Pages Static HTML

If you want to host the page yourself, GitHub Pages is free and requires no server:

1. Create a repo named yourapp.github.io (or any repo with Pages enabled)
2. Add an index.html with your shutdown message
3. Point your domain's CNAME record to yourapp.github.io
4. Enable the custom domain in GitHub Pages settings

The downside: you're writing raw HTML, and GitHub might eventually deprecate or change the service.

Option 4: Netlify Drop

Go to netlify.com/drop, drag an index.html file onto the browser, and get a live URL in seconds. Then point your domain there.

This works, but like GitHub Pages, you're on your own for design and maintenance.

Which Option Should You Use?

What to Put on the Page

Regardless of the method, your shutdown page should cover:

• What happened — a brief, honest explanation
• When — the exact shutdown date
• What users should do — export data, migrate to alternatives
• Where the team is going — so people can follow

Don't leave visitors guessing. A 200-word explanation is infinitely better than a blank page.

The Long Game

Even after your domain expires, old links keep circulating. That's why hosting on a subdomain like yourapp.exitpage.one is a smart backup — it stays up regardless of what happens to your domain registration.

Set up your redirect first, then let it run on autopilot while you focus on whatever comes next.