Answer first: To set up custom-domain email for a small business, put the domain in Cloudflare with an exact zone-name match, add it in Arawa Mail, activate receiving, then activate sending so DKIM and custom MAIL FROM are written for you. After receiving is active, create [email protected], send a test, and keep the website on the same domain. You do not need Google Workspace seats just to own that address.
What this setup actually solves
Most shops still invoice from a personal Gmail because “domain email hosting Gmail” search results sell a suite. You wanted hello@ and founder@. You did not ask for Docs, Meet, or five billed seats.
Arawa Mail is not Gmail-for-your-domain and not a Workspace SMTP relay. It is a company mailbox plus a sending API on a Cloudflare-hosted domain. If you need the comparison first, read custom-domain business email vs Gmail and ArawaMail vs Google Workspace. This article is the first-time path for a domain that is not yet receiving mail here.
The website can stay where it is. Mail records change independently of web hosting. That is the point of moving only MX and authentication — covered in the DNS records reference.
How we analyzed this
Steps follow the live product docs: Onboard a Domain, Enable Sending, and Email Accounts. Architecture constraint: Arawa Mail writes receiving and sending records through Cloudflare. The zone name must match the Arawa Mail domain exactly. Accounts cannot be created until receiving is active. Sending cannot be activated until receiving is active. We do not invent BIND recipes or placeholder IMAP hostnames.
What you need before you start
- A domain you control (example:
studio.com). - That domain active in Cloudflare, zone name identical to the domain you will add in Arawa Mail.
- An Arawa Mail company. The free plan is for proving the domain — confirm current limits on pricing.
- A password of at least 12 characters for the first mailbox.
If the domain still lives on shared cPanel mail, cutover mechanics belong in How to Migrate cPanel Email to ArawaMail. If you are leaving Workspace, use How to Move Business Email Off Google Workspace. Use the migration checklist when mail is already live elsewhere.
Step 1 — Confirm the Cloudflare zone matches
Open Cloudflare and confirm the zone is the exact hostname you will type in Arawa Mail. studio.com and mail.studio.com are different zones. A mismatch blocks authorization and leaves receiving inactive.
Why exact match matters: activation asks Cloudflare to write MX, DKIM CNAMEs, and MAIL FROM records on that zone. The wrong zone writes nothing useful. Walkthrough of the OAuth step: How to Connect a Cloudflare Domain.
Step 2 — Add the domain in Arawa Mail
Open Domains. Each row shows three statuses:
- Domain — overall readiness.
- Receiving — inbound mail routed to Arawa Mail.
- Sending — outbound mail allowed from the domain.
Add the domain, then open its detail page. That page is where you activate receiving, activate sending, retry a failed step, or reset.
Step 3 — Activate receiving first
Click Activate receiving. Complete the Cloudflare authorization flow. Return and confirm Receiving is active.
Receiving first is not busywork. Until MX points at Arawa Mail, a new hello@ address has nowhere to land. The product therefore disables Add account until at least one domain has receiving active.
Your website stays up. Only mail routing changes. Reset disconnects the domain and stops receiving and sending until you activate again. Remote Cloudflare cleanup is best-effort if a token has expired.
Step 4 — Activate sending
Sending requires receiving to already be active. Click Activate sending. Arawa Mail then:
- Creates or retrieves the outbound identity for the domain.
- Adds DKIM CNAME records in Cloudflare.
- Configures a custom MAIL FROM domain.
- Adds MAIL FROM MX and SPF records in Cloudflare.
- Marks the domain sending-active.
Mailbox send and HTTP API from use the same checks. If sending is inactive, both fail. Record meanings live on How ArawaMail sets up DNS and in SPF, DKIM, and DMARC explained.
Step 5 — Create hello@ (and founder@ if you need it)
With receiving active, add an account:
- Domain — the sending-ready domain.
- Full name — display name on outgoing mail.
- Username — the local part (
hello,founder). Letters, numbers, dots, underscores, and hyphens. Duplicates are blocked. - Password — at least 12 characters.
A two-person shop does not need Workspace to mint those two addresses. Shared naming patterns belong in a later naming guide; aliases and plus addressing are covered in Aliases, Shared Inboxes & Plus Addressing.
Step 6 — Send a test from the mailbox
Open the mailbox. Folders include Inbox, Search, Sent, Drafts, Starred, Archive, Spam, and Trash. Compose from [email protected] to an address you control. Confirm the message lands and that Sent stores a copy.
Mailbox sending is rate limited per account. After the first clean test, treat volume as a reputation problem — see Warm Up a New Domain Without Guessing if the domain is brand new.
Mailbox vs transactional API send
A mailbox is for people: invoices, supplier threads, support. A transactional API send is for the product: receipts, password resets, OTPs. Both require the same sending-active domain. API-originated mail is written to Sent so humans can see what the app sent.
When receipts start going out, create an API key and send over HTTPS — see Transactional Email and Receipts Should Come From an Address People Can Reply To. Prefer a real local part over noreply@.
Can you keep using Gmail or Apple Mail as a client?
Yes. After MX moves, Gmail-the-product is no longer your host. Gmail or Apple Mail can still be a client over IMAP/SMTP. Copy hostnames, ports, and credentials from the in-app Connect a Device screen for that account — do not use documentation placeholders. Ports are typically IMAP 993 and SMTP 465 with SSL. Protocol tradeoffs: IMAP vs POP3 for Business Email.
That client path is not an application sending API. Apps should use HTTP, covered in the companion guide SMTP vs Email API.
What not to do on day one
- Do not buy Workspace only to get
hello@. - Do not skip receiving and paste records by hand.
- Do not treat this as Cloudflare Email Routing. Routing forwards; a mailbox stores and replies. See Email Forwarding vs Mailbox Hosting.
- Do not expect calendar or Docs replacements from this setup.
For the broader product pitch, start at Business Email.
FAQ
Can I keep my website on the same domain while mail moves?
Yes. Web records and mail records are separate. Change MX and authentication only.
Why must the Cloudflare zone name match exactly?
Activation writes records onto that zone. A different zone name means the wrong DNS bag.
Why does sending refuse to activate before receiving?
Outbound identity is attached to a domain that already receives. The product enforces that order so you cannot send from an address that cannot receive replies.
Why can I not add hello@ until receiving is active?
Add account is disabled until at least one domain is receiving. Otherwise the new address has no inbox path.
Is this “Gmail with my domain name”?
No. You can use Gmail as a client after cutover. Hosting and sending live on Arawa Mail, not in a Workspace seat.