Portals can be fully customised to reflect your organisation's identity. Use your own domain, apply your brand colours, and personalise the user experience so the portal feels like a natural extension of your business.

Hosting Options

Every portal needs a web address where users access it. Kinabase offers two options:

Kinabase Hosting

By default, your portal is hosted on a Kinabase subdomain:

Format: your-portal-name.kinabase.cloud
Automatically configured
No additional setup required
SSL certificate included

This option is quick to set up and works well for internal portals or initial testing.

Custom Domain

Use your own domain for a more professional appearance:

Format: portal.yourcompany.com (or any subdomain you choose)
Requires DNS configuration
SSL certificate automatically provisioned
Builds trust with external users

Custom domains are recommended for client-facing external portals.

Setting Up a Custom Domain

Step 1: Choose Your Domain

Decide on the subdomain you want to use, for example:

portal.yourcompany.com
clients.yourcompany.com
partners.yourcompany.com

You can use any subdomain of a domain you control.

Step 2: Configure DNS

Add a CNAME record in your domain's DNS settings:

Setting	Value
Type	CNAME
Host/Name	The subdomain (e.g., `portal`)
Target/Value	`portal.kinabase.cloud`
TTL	3600 seconds (or "Automatic")

Where to configure DNS

DNS is configured through your domain registrar or DNS provider. Common providers include:

Cloudflare - DNS section in your domain dashboard
GoDaddy - DNS Management in domain settings
Namecheap - Advanced DNS in domain management
Google Domains - DNS settings in your domain
AWS Route 53 - Hosted zones

If you're unsure, contact your IT team or domain administrator.

Step 3: Configure in Kinabase

Open your portal in Settings → Portals
Go to the Hosting tab
Select Custom Domain
Enter your full custom domain (e.g., portal.yourcompany.com)
Click Verify Domain

Step 4: Wait for DNS Propagation

DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate globally, though they often complete within minutes.

If verification fails:

Wait 15-30 minutes and try again
Double-check your CNAME record is correct
Ensure there are no conflicting A records for the same subdomain

Step 5: Verification Complete

Once verified:

Your custom domain is active
An SSL certificate is automatically provisioned
Users can access the portal at your custom domain
Your subscription and invoicing will update accordingly

Branding Your Portal

Make the portal visually match your organisation's identity.

Brand Identity

Apply one of your organisation's brands to the portal:

Open your portal in Settings → Portals
Go to the Display tab
Under Brand Identity, select your brand

The brand determines:

Logo and visual identity
Font family for headings and text
Colour palette for UI elements

If you haven't set up brands, see our Set Up Your Organisation guide.

Design Colours

Customise the portal's background colour:

In the Display tab, find Design Colours
Click the colour picker to choose a background colour
The colour defaults to your brand palette if not specified

This background colour appears behind the main portal content.

Managing Multiple Brands

If your organisation has multiple brands (e.g., different divisions or white-label services):

Create brands in Settings → Brand Guide
Each portal can use a different brand
External portals can be fully white-labelled for different clients

Display Messages

Customise the text users see at key moments:

Displayed on the login page:

Heading - welcome title (e.g., "Welcome to the Client Portal")
Instructions - guidance for signing in

Support Message

Information about getting help:

Heading - support section title
Instructions - contact details, hours, or guidance

Welcome Message

Displayed after users sign in:

Heading - greeting (e.g., "Hello!")
Instructions - orientation or key information

Each message supports rich text formatting, so you can include:

Formatted text (bold, italic, lists)
Links to resources
Contact information

Email Templates

Customise the emails sent to portal users:

Invitation Email

Sent when you invite a new user to the portal:

Subject - email subject line
Message - email body with invitation link

Sent when users request a verification code:

Subject - email subject line
Message - email body with the verification code

Email template tips

When customising email templates:

Keep subject lines clear and recognisable
Include your organisation name so users know who the email is from
Provide context about what the portal is for
Include support contact information
Test emails by sending invitations to yourself

Best Practices

Use custom domains for external portals

A branded domain builds trust. Clients expect to see your domain, not a third-party URL.

Keep branding consistent

Use the same brand identity as your website and other communications.

Write welcoming messages

Clear, friendly text helps users feel confident using the portal.

Test the full experience

Send yourself an invitation and go through the complete sign-in process.

Update when branding changes

If your organisation rebrands, remember to update portal branding too.

Troubleshooting

Custom Domain Issues

Domain verification fails

If domain verification fails:

Check the CNAME record - ensure it points to portal.kinabase.cloud
Wait for propagation - DNS changes can take up to 24 hours
Check for conflicts - remove any A records for the same subdomain
Verify the domain - ensure you entered the exact domain in Kinabase

Use a DNS checker tool to verify your CNAME record is visible.

SSL certificate not working

SSL certificates are provisioned automatically after domain verification. If you see certificate warnings:

Wait a few minutes for the certificate to be issued
Clear your browser cache
Try accessing the portal in an incognito/private window

Domain was working but stopped

If a previously working domain stops:

Check your DNS settings haven't changed
Verify the domain is still verified in Kinabase portal settings
Contact support if the issue persists

Branding Issues

Logo not appearing

If your logo doesn't appear:

Check the brand is correctly configured in Settings → Brand Guide
Ensure the logo image is uploaded and visible
Verify the portal is set to use the correct brand

Colours look different

Slight colour variations can occur due to:

Monitor calibration differences
Browser rendering

Ensure you're using the exact hex values from your brand guide.

Set Up Your Organisation - configure branding and logos
Internal Portals - portals for team members
External Portals - portals for clients and partners
Managing Portal Users - invite and manage users

A well-branded portal reinforces your professionalism and makes users feel they're in the right place. Take the time to configure these settings thoughtfully, and your portal will be a seamless extension of your brand.

If you need further assistance, our support team is here to help.

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