How to point your domain name to your web server?

When buying a domain name, it can be a headache to point your domain name to your web server. Indeed, your domain name server and your host can be separate companies. For this, you must have a minimum knowledge of DNS manipulation to achieve this. In this article, we explain how to do it. At the end of this article, if you have a situation different from the cases worked out, it would be a pleasure to assist you. Leave us a message.

The two approaches to pointing your domain name to your web server

To connect your website to your web server, you can:

1. Add the IP address of your web server in the DNS configuration of your domain name
2. Get the Server name of your web server and add it to the domain name configuration.

Add the IP address of your web server in the DNS configuration of your domain name

If you purchase a domain name from GoDaddy, HostPapa, or any other company that sells domain names, you will usually have access to a configuration space. Indeed, via the configuration, you can manage your email server, give the possibility of creating subdomains. This configuration space also offers you the possibility of pointing your domain name to your web server. We will explain how to make this change. To add your web server's IP address, you must:

Obtain the IP address in your web hosting space.

This information is usually visible in the file management panel. For example, for a web server under a cPanel, you will immediately see the information when you connect to the file management space. see the label "Shared IP Address" or a similar title.

Connect to the DNS configuration space of your domain name

The approach to logging into a domain name's configuration space may vary from provider to provider. However, the terminologies are generally similar. Taking GoDaddy as an example, you will have to click on its domain name in account. Then locate “Manage DNS”. After clicking on the link, you will see a list of data that you can edit. It will be a question of changing the information in green by your IP address. To do this, you simply have to click on the pencil and make your changes in the form. Once you edit and save, you have to wait a few minutes or even hours to be able to use it.

Retrieve the server name of your web host

You can also add your host's Server Name to your domain name configuration. The process will consist of going to the configuration located in your account (domain name provider) and replacing the server name of your domain name provider with your own.

We don't generally recommend this approach because it forces you to completely manage your domain name from your web server. A direct consequence is that if your web server has a problem, mail or other functionalities associated with the domain name will no longer work. Another issue related to this is the security of other services associated with your domain name.

To add the name server to your domain name configuration, you need to locate the location of your domain name provider's name server changes. Then you need to replace the information with those from your web server. If you want to work with web development professionals to easily accelerate your business activities, contact us .