Supporting the "go" hostname

To get the most out of go links, every user in your organization should be able to access your Trotto instance through the go hostname. This means users can access a go link like go/roadmap by simply typing go/roadmap into their browser bar, compared to a more verbose equivalent like trot.to/roadmap.

You can implement support for the go hostname in a variety of ways.

The Trotto browser extension

Trotto's open source browser extension is by far the simplest way to support go. With an extension-based implementation, the browser recognizes that when you type go/somewhere into the browser bar, you're using a go link, and the browser redirects the request to your Trotto instance.

If you're using fully-managed Trotto at trot.to, you can install the extension immediately:

If you're self-hosting Trotto, deploying your own copy of the extension is simple. Check out the extension repo's README.

Internal DNS

Large companies like Google use internal DNS to point the go hostname to their go links solution. Since the go links user needs to be on the company network (or VPN) to use go links via internal DNS, this is more limiting than an implementation using browser extensions. However, both implementations can be used at the same time, so if a user isn't on the company network but has a go links extension installed, go links will continue to work for them.

Search domain

A search domain (also called a DNS suffix) is a domain that your computer uses to resolve otherwise unrecognized domain names. A search domain might be configured in your computer's settings or via your network.

Say you have a search domain of trot.to set up on your Mac. If you type go/allhands into your browser, your computer will see if go.trot.to exists. When it finds that is a valid domain, you'll automatically be redirected to go.trot.to/allhands, and ultimately to your company's weekly all-hands Zoom.

Below are specific instructions for configuring search domains for fully-managed Trotto at trot.to.

macOS

  1. Open System Preferences, then click Network
  2. In the list at the left, select the network connection service you want to use (such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet), then click Advanced
  3. Click the DNS tab
  4. Click the Add button (+) at the bottom of the Search Domains list, then enter the search domain: trot.to
  5. Click OK
  6. Click Apply
  7. Repeat these steps for any other network connection services you use frequently

Windows

  1. Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center, then click Change Adapter Settings on the left side
  2. Right-click your network connection service (normally Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection) and select Properties
  3. Select Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click the Properties button
  4. On the General tab, click the Advanced... button
  5. In the Append these DNS suffixes (in order) list, click Add, then enter the search domain: trot.to
  6. Click OK
  7. Repeat these steps for any other network connection services you use frequently

Linux

  1. In NetworkManager, edit your network connection service and click the IPv4 Settings tab
  2. In the Search domains field, enter the search domain: trot.to
  3. Click Save
  4. Repeat these steps for any other network connection services you use frequently

Hosts files

A hosts file is a file on your computer that maps hostnames to IP addresses. For example, 34.71.68.101 is Trotto's static IP, and an entry like the below would direct a request for go/roadmap to 34.71.68.101/roadmap, resolving the go link through Trotto.

34.71.68.101   go
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