Point a domain to your server
Updated
To make a domain such as example.in open your website, its DNS must point to your server’s IP address. We send you the server’s IP address and login by mail when the server is ready. You make the DNS change where your domain’s DNS is managed: your registrar or your DNS provider.
What you need
- The server’s IPv4 address (and the IPv6 address, if you want to use it).
- Access to the DNS settings of your domain.
Step 1: add the A record
An A record connects a name to an IPv4 address. Add this record for the bare domain:
| Type | Name | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | @ | your server’s IPv4 address | 3600 |
The name @ means the domain itself (example.in). Some panels want you to type the full domain name instead.
Step 2: add an AAAA record (optional)
If your server has an IPv6 address, add an AAAA record with the same name and the IPv6 address as value. Add it only when your web server listens on IPv6, or visitors using IPv6 will see an error.
Step 3: set up www
Most people type www in front of the domain. Create a CNAME so that www follows the main name:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME | www | example.in. |
Do not use a CNAME for @: DNS does not allow it next to your other records, such as MX for email.
Step 4: choose a TTL
TTL is the time, in seconds, that other servers keep the old answer. A value of 3600 (one hour) is fine for normal use. If you are moving a live website, lower the TTL to 300 a day before the change, then raise it again afterwards.
Step 5: wait and check
Changes can take from a few minutes to some hours to reach everyone. This is called propagation. Old answers stay cached until their TTL ends.
Check from a Linux or macOS terminal:
dig +short example.in A
dig +short www.example.inOn Windows:
nslookup example.in
nslookup www.example.inThe answer should show your server’s IP address. If you still see the old address, wait and try again.
Common problems
- The old site still opens. Your computer has cached the old answer. Wait for the TTL.
- A “default page” opens. DNS is correct, but the web server on your server has no site for this name yet. Add a virtual host for the domain.
- Mail stopped working. You replaced or deleted MX records by mistake. Put them back.
If you are stuck, mail the domain name and the output of the commands above to support@it-labs.in.