Pointing a domain is two jobs: nameservers (who answers DNS for the name) and A records (which IP the website hits). AtlasDNS is the default. For a domain registered with us, that work lives in the portal: Domains → the domain → DNS. Do not send the name to a third-party DNS host.
If you registered the domain with us at /domains or with a hosting order, it is already on AtlasDNS. You usually only need to set the A records. If the name is registered elsewhere, set our nameservers first, then we host the zone.
Unsure at any step? Open a support ticket and we will set it with you.
Need the name itself? Search and register at /domains. Moving a live site? Follow Migrate your website to us with minimal downtime so visitors stay on the old copy until the new one is tested.
Our nameservers
ns1.atlasdns.net.au
ns2.atlasdns.net.au
ns3.atlasdns.net.auUse all three. Changing nameservers is a registry setting. It does not, by itself, put files on the server. After the name is on AtlasDNS, set the records below.
Domain registered with us
- Sign in at /portal.
- Open Domains, then the domain, then DNS.
The domain is already on AtlasDNS. Leave the nameservers as they are. Skip the nameserver change. Copy the IP below, then add the A records on that DNS page.
If the portal DNS page says records are managed from the hosting control panel, the domain is in cPanel Hosting DNS mode. Use the Zone Editor instead of this page.
Domain registered elsewhere
You do not have to transfer the domain for the website to load here. Set nameservers to ours, then we manage the zone.
- Sign in where the domain is registered.
- Open DNS, Nameservers, or Domain settings.
- Replace every nameserver with the three AtlasDNS hosts above. Remove leftover rows so only those three remain.
- Save.
Then open a support ticket so we can put the zone on this account. Tell us the domain and which hosting, VPS, or dedicated service it should hit.
Do not leave the name on the previous DNS and only change one A record there unless we have asked you to for a short test. AtlasDNS should own the zone. A records at the old registrar do not give us mail, AutoSSL, or the rest of the zone.
If you cannot find the nameserver form, open a support ticket. We will tell you exactly what to set.
Which DNS mode
On Domains → the domain → DNS:
- AtlasDNS (the usual case): add and edit records on that page. This article.
- cPanel Hosting (the domain is paired with a shared hosting service): the portal says records are managed from the hosting control panel. Open the hosting service, click Log in to cPanel, and use the Zone Editor.
Unsure which mode you are on? Open a support ticket and we will check with you.
If you want cPanel to own the zone (AutoSSL and mail records written for you), switch DNS mode to cPanel Hosting and pair the domain with the hosting service. Switching replaces the current zone. If the name is already live, open a support ticket before you switch.
The Zone Editor does not change nameservers at the registry. Leave the NS rows in the zone as they are.
Find the IP
You need the IPv4 address of the service the website should hit. Copy it. Do not guess.
Shared hosting (Beginner and Standard, cPanel):
- Sign in at /portal, open the hosting service, and click Log in to cPanel.
- On the cPanel home, copy General Information → Shared IP Address.
Open cPanel from the portal. Do not type cpanel.yourdomain.com or invent a server hostname.
VPS: open the server in the portal. Use the IPv4 shown there. Credentials and the console are on that same service.
Dedicated: use the IPv4 on that service in the portal. If it is not listed, open a support ticket.
Add the website A records (AtlasDNS)
On Domains → the domain → DNS:
- Add an A record for the root name:
- Name / Host: @ (or the bare domain, depending on the form)
- Type: A
- Value: the IPv4 from the step above
- TTL: 3600 unless you are in a planned cutover (then 300 is fine)
- Point
wwwat the same place. Either:
- another A record, name www, same IPv4, or
- a CNAME, name www, target yourdomain.com (include the trailing dot if the form asks for a fully qualified name)
- Save.
Do not put a CNAME on the root name (@ / yourdomain.com). Use an A record for the root. See DNS record types explained.
Add an AAAA record only when that service actually has an IPv6 address. Copy it from the portal or from cPanel if it is listed. An A record is enough if the service is IPv4-only.
In cPanel Hosting mode, do the same in the Zone Editor. Copy the Shared IP Address from General Information. Adding the domain as an addon, alias, or subdomain usually writes the matching A record for you. Confirm it. Do not add a duplicate.
Mail stays on MX
A records move the website. Inbound mail uses MX records. Changing only @ and www does not move mail. Changing nameservers does: the whole zone, including MX, moves to AtlasDNS.
- Shared-hosting mail (mailboxes you create in cPanel): keep MX aimed at this account, typically
mail.yourdomain.comon the same Shared IP Address. See Create an email account and MX records and how email routing works. - LochStudios Mail is a different product. Confirm the MX values on the mail service in the portal, or open a support ticket. Do not point MX at cPanel unless you mean to leave LochStudios Mail.
- Mail still at another product: copy the existing MX and related TXT records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) onto AtlasDNS before or as you switch nameservers.
Wrong MX means inbound mail does not arrive. If you are cutting mail over, open a support ticket before you save.
After you save
Changes are often quick, but they can take hours, and sometimes up to 48 hours, to show everywhere. During that window some visitors still hit the old address. That is expected. See DNS propagation explained.
Check both names in a private window (or on another network):
https://yourdomain.comhttps://www.yourdomain.com
Shared hosting: once the name resolves here, AutoSSL (Let's Encrypt) can issue a certificate. In cPanel, open SSL/TLS Status and run AutoSSL if a certificate is not there yet. Background: Understanding SSL/TLS and HTTPS.
VPS: install a certificate on the server (Certbot is fine). See Get a Free SSL Certificate with Certbot.
The files still have to be on the account. Shared hosting: put the site in public_html (or the addon / subdomain document root). Prefer WordPress Toolkit or Installatron in cPanel. See Getting started after you order hosting and Install WordPress. VPS: start with First steps on a new VPS.
If the site does not load
- Nameservers are not ours yet. At the registrar, the NS hosts should be the three AtlasDNS names above.
- Wrong IP. Copy the Shared IP Address or the VPS IPv4 again. Do not reuse an old address.
- You edited the wrong zone. AtlasDNS records live under Domains → the domain → DNS. The Zone Editor is live only in cPanel Hosting mode.
- DNS has not reached you yet. Wait, then try a private window or another network. See DNS propagation explained.
- Nothing is on the account yet. An empty
public_html(or a VPS with no web server) will not show a site even when DNS is correct. - You still see the old site. That can be cache or leftover nameservers. Confirm all three AtlasDNS hosts, then see My website is down.
If you are not sure what to change, open a support ticket and we will set the nameservers and records with you.
Keep AtlasDNS
Do not replace our nameservers with a CDN's, a website builder's, or another DNS host. If a setup wizard tells you to change nameservers, stop. Open a support ticket and we will add only the CNAME or TXT records you need. Mail, AutoSSL, and the rest of the zone stay on AtlasDNS.