Domain·Hosting
🧭 Hosting wizard · 2026

Connecting Your Domain: NS vs A Record

There are exactly two ways to point a domain at a hosting account: change the nameservers at your registrar, or add an A record in your existing DNS. Both work. The right choice depends on whether you want your hosting provider to manage all your DNS records or keep that control at your registrar.

Connecting Your Domain: NS vs A Record

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        Method 1: Change Nameservers

        Changing nameservers hands your domain's entire DNS management to your hosting provider. You log into your registrar, find the nameserver settings, replace the default values with the nameservers your host provides (usually two or three addresses), and save. From that point, all DNS records for your domain, including A, MX, TXT, and CNAME, are managed through your hosting provider's DNS panel instead of your registrar's. This is the simpler method for someone who bought a domain from one company and hosting from another and wants a single place to manage everything. A freelancer who registered a domain through one registrar and purchased a managed hosting plan elsewhere, for example, can change nameservers once and handle all future DNS changes from the hosting dashboard. The trade-off is that your hosting provider now controls all records. If you later switch hosts, you will need to either update records through the new host or change nameservers again.

        Method 2: Add an A Record

        Adding an A record keeps DNS management at your registrar. You log into your registrar's DNS panel, create an A record pointing your domain to the IP address your hosting provider gives you, and save. Your registrar continues to manage all other DNS records, MX for email, TXT for verification, while only the web traffic is directed to the hosting server. This method suits site owners who use separate services for different functions: hosting from one provider, email from another, and DNS management at the registrar. It requires more manual work because you maintain records in the registrar's panel rather than consolidating them in one place. Both methods involve DNS propagation. After making either change, it takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours for every DNS resolver worldwide to pick up the new information. During this window, some visitors see the old destination and some see the new one. The most common migration mistake is cancelling the old hosting account before propagation finishes, which creates downtime for visitors whose resolvers have not yet updated. Use the wizard on this page to choose between the two methods based on your setup and see the steps tailored to your situation.

        Do not cancel your previous hosting until propagation is complete and you have confirmed the new site loads correctly from multiple locations.

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        Sources

          DNS propagation mechanics per standard resolver caching behaviour (RFC 1035 TTL). Nameserver delegation vs A record pointing: standard registrar and hosting documentation.
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