Unable to delete Custom Domain in my Static Web App

Hi @David Snipp ,

Thank you for bringing up the issue with deleting stardraw.cloud from your Static Web App. The domain being stuck in the “Deleting” status is a known problem, often caused by a backend synchronization issue. Here are some troubleshooting steps and escalation guidelines, based on official Microsoft documentation and past cases.

Quick Troubleshooting Steps

Before escalating the issue, please try the following to eliminate common causes:

1. Check for Resource Locks:
   • In the Azure Portal, navigate to your Static Web App and select Locks from the left menu.
   • If you find any "Delete" locks, select and remove them.
   • Be sure to also check for locks at the Resource Group level.
2. Check DNS Records:
   • Sign in to your DNS provider (such as the host for stardraw.cloud) and make sure all records, including the CNAME for www and A/ALIAS for the apex domain, that point to your Static Web App have been deleted.
   • Allow 15-30 minutes for DNS changes to propagate globally, then try deleting the app in the Portal again.
3. Retry Deletion in Azure Portal:
   • Go to: Static Web App > Custom domains (left menu) > Choose stardraw.cloud > Select Delete > Confirm the action.
   • Keep in mind that deletions might take up to 15 minutes to appear—try refreshing the page.
4. Automated Retry Script (PowerShell): If the Portal retry does not succeed, you can use this PowerShell script to poll and attempt the deletion again. Be sure to replace the placeholders with your information. Note that the Az PowerShell module is required; you can install it using Install-Module -Name Az -AllowClobber if necessary. Please execute this in PowerShell and monitor the output. If you encounter any errors, such as an "unrecognized response," please escalate the issue accordingly.

      # Install Az module if not present: Install-Module -Name Az -AllowClobber -Scope CurrentUser
      Connect-AzAccount  # Log in to Azure
      $rg = "YOUR_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME"  # e.g., "my-rg"
      $name = "YOUR_STATIC_WEB_APP_NAME"  # e.g., "my-swa"
      $removeMe = "stardraw.cloud"  # Your custom domain
      $domains = Get-AzStaticWebAppCustomDomain -ResourceGroupName $rg -Name $name
      $initialLen = $domains.Length
      while ($domains.Length -eq $initialLen) {
          foreach ($item in $domains) {
              if ($item.Name -eq $removeMe) {
                  try {
                      Remove-AzStaticWebAppCustomDomain -DomainName $removeMe -Name $name -ResourceGroupName $rg -NoWait -ErrorAction Stop
                      Write-Host "Deletion initiated for $removeMe. Waiting..."
                      Start-Sleep -Seconds 10
                  } catch {
                      Write-Host "Error: $($_.Exception.Message). Retrying..."
                  }
              }
          }
          $domains = Get-AzStaticWebAppCustomDomain -ResourceGroupName $rg -Name $name
          if ($domains.Length -gt 0 -and (Get-Date).Second -eq 0) {  # Refresh every ~10s, but log periodically
              Write-Host "Still present. Retrying in 10 seconds..."
              Start-Sleep -Seconds 10
          }
      }
      Write-Host "Success! $removeMe has been deleted."
   

If you’re still experiencing this issue: escalate the case to Microsoft. In situations like yours the Azure Static Web Apps team typically applies a backend fix. To proceed, open a free support ticket at Azure Support under "Technical" > "Static Web Apps." Make sure to include your Subscription ID, Resource Group, Static Web App name, the domain (stardraw.cloud), and a screenshot showing the stuck status.

Reference :

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/static-web-apps/custom-domain

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/appservice/static-sites/delete-static-site-custom-domain?view=rest-appservice-2025-03-01&tabs=HTTP

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/staticwebapp/hostname?view=azure-cli-latest#az-staticwebapp-hostname-delete

let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

Please "upvote" if the information helped you. This will help us and others in the community as well.

You've contacted me privately saying that a support ticket has been raised and now I get this public message asking me to do some additional checks. all of which still fail.
Are you saying that I now have to raise a support ticket even though one has already been raised?

Hi @David Snipp ,

Thank you for your patience. We’ve received confirmation from the back-end team that the custom domain has been successfully deleted. Could you please verify on your end and let us know if you encounter any further issues?

Hi @David Snipp ,

Azure Static Web Apps currently do not support wildcard custom domains, which means you cannot add a domain like *.stardraw.cloud in one step.

Instead, each subdomain must be added and validated individually (e.g., app.stardraw.cloud, blog.stardraw.cloud, etc.).

Why You’re Seeing the Error

The platform requires a fully qualified domain name (FQDN). Azure expects a specific domain such as app.stardraw.cloud, not a wildcard pattern.

*.stardraw.cloud is not a valid FQDN. Because wildcards aren’t supported, Azure treats *.stardraw.cloud as an invalid input.

This leads to the error: “Request Envelope is invalid. Please ensure the custom domain is provided and well-formed.” This happens because the API and portal cannot process a wildcard domain for domain binding.

1. Add each subdomain explicitly

If you only have a few known subdomains, add them one by one in the Static Web App custom domain settings.

Examples:

app.stardraw.cloud

blog.stardraw.cloud

dev.stardraw.cloud

Azure will issue individual certificates for each one. This works well when the number of subdomains is limited and predictable.

2. Use CNAME delegation for validation

For each subdomain you set up:

Point the subdomain to your Static Web App’s default hostname (e.g., purple-mountain-12345.azurestaticapps.net).

Add the required TXT record to verify domain ownership.

This ensures Azure can validate the domain and issue an SSL certificate for it.

3. If you need dynamic or unlimited subdomains

If you need to support many subdomains or subdomains created on-the-fly, Azure Static Web Apps alone cannot do this. Instead:

• Put Azure Front Door or Azure Application Gateway in front of your Static Web App.

These services support wildcard certificates and advanced routing.

You can configure a single *.stardraw.cloud SSL certificate at Front Door.

• Then route incoming subdomain requests to your Static Web App.

This approach is ideal for SaaS platforms or environments where users get their own subdomain dynamically

Reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/static-web-apps/custom-domain

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/frontdoor/front-door-wildcard-domain?pivots=front-door-standard-premium