Pointing a domain to your hosting means editing DNS so visitors who type your address reach your server. You have two methods: change the domain’s nameservers, or set A records. Nameservers hand full DNS control to your host. A records point one name at one IP address while leaving your other records alone. Choose nameservers when you want the host to manage everything in one place. Choose A records when you need to keep email or another service with a separate provider.
Nameservers vs A records #
Nameservers are the servers that answer every DNS question about your domain. When you set your host’s nameservers, that host controls your A records, your MX records for email, your CNAMEs, and everything else. This is the simplest route for a new site with no existing services to protect.
An A record maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. Set the root record (often shown as @) and the www record to your server’s IP, and the browser knows where to connect. You keep control at your registrar or current DNS provider, so your existing email keeps working. Add an AAAA record if your host also gives you an IPv6 address.
Exact steps for the nameserver method #
- Find the nameservers in your hosting welcome email or control panel. They usually look like ns1.yourhost.com and ns2.yourhost.com.
- Log in to the registrar where you bought the domain.
- Open the domain’s DNS or nameserver settings.
- Replace the existing nameservers with the two your host gave you.
- Save. The registrar may warn that changes take time. Confirm.
After this, manage all future records inside your host’s control panel, not the registrar.
Exact steps for the A record method #
- Get your server’s IP address from your host’s dashboard.
- Log in to your registrar or DNS provider.
- Open the DNS records or zone editor.
- Edit the A record with host @ and set its value to your IP.
- Edit or add an A record for www with the same IP, or use a CNAME pointing www to your root domain.
- Leave the MX and TXT records untouched so email survives.
- Save each record.
How long propagation takes #
Most changes appear within one to four hours, and many resolve in minutes. Full global propagation can take up to 48 hours in rare cases, though that timeline is far less common than it used to be. Two factors drive the wait.
The first is TTL, the time to live set on each record. TTL tells resolvers how many seconds to cache the old value. A record with a 3600 TTL can serve stale data for up to an hour after your edit. If you know a change is coming, lower the TTL to 300 a day ahead, then raise it again once the new value is live.
The second factor is nameserver changes, which rely on registry and TLD caches and generally take longer than a simple A record edit. Expect nameserver switches to sit toward the slower end of the range.
How to check whether it worked #
Do not judge propagation by loading your site in a browser, because your computer and network cache aggressively. Query DNS directly instead. On Windows, run nslookup yourdomain.com in a terminal. On macOS or Linux, run dig yourdomain.com. Compare the returned IP to your server’s IP. When they match, the record is live for you.
To see results from other regions, use a public propagation checker that queries many locations at once. If most locations show the new value, you are nearly done. Clear your local DNS cache to see the change yourself, then test the site over both http and https.
Common mistakes to avoid #
Do not mix methods. If you set your host’s nameservers and also edit A records at the registrar, the registrar records get ignored, because the host now answers all queries. Do not delete MX or TXT records when you only meant to change where the website points. And do not panic in the first hour, since partial propagation makes the site load from one device and not another.
If you are setting up your first site and want the surrounding context, read our guide on how to build a website for the steps that come before and after DNS. Once the record resolves and your pages load, add an SSL certificate so the padlock shows and forms stay secure.
One last check: point both the root and www versions of your domain, and set one to redirect to the other so you do not split traffic. Confirm email still sends and receives, then you are done.
