Member Avatar for John A

So I finally bought a domain name via GoDaddy. Only problem is, I don't know how to map it to my server! I assumed that they would let me use their nameservers to map my domain name to my server's IP address. So they give me 3 pairs of nameservers to choose from:

Default hosting names: NS5.SECURESERVER.NET, NS6.SECURESERVER.NET
Default parked names: NS57.DOMAINCONTROL.COM, NS58.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Custom: *, *

I don't have my own nameservers. And I can't seem to find a way to use the default nameservers to map the domain name to my server. In fact, it seems as though the default hosting nameservers are used solely for GoDaddy's paid hosting service. I also tried plugging in my server's IP address into the primary DNS address, but GoDaddy said there was an error (of course, it doesn't think I'd actually want to know what the error was).

Did I just waste 10 bucks? How difficult is it to make my webserver double as its nameserver? Or what do you recommend I do, short of transferring the domain to another provider?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by gireeeesh

Dani AI

Generated

A short practical primer tied to this thread: several posters (, , ) ran into the same confusion and correctly pointed to the registrar DNS area. The key point is that registrars expect nameserver hostnames (or their default NS) — not a raw IP — in the nameserver fields. To point a domain at a webserver IP, use DNS records (A/AAAA/CNAME) on whatever authoritative nameservers the domain is using, not the registrar's NS field.

Typical records (replace the example IP with the server's public IP):

A     @     203.0.113.42    3600   # apex/root domain -> server IP
A     www   203.0.113.42    3600   # www -> same IP
AAAA  @     2001:db8::42    3600   # if IPv6 is available

Notes: TTL is seconds. A CNAME for www pointing to the apex is common, but a CNAME at the apex is not allowed — use an A/AAAA there. After saving changes, expect DNS propagation delays (usually minutes to a few hours; up to 48 hours in odd cases).

Troubleshooting checklist: verify the registrar has the domain using the intended nameservers (not a parked/forwarding service), flush local DNS cache or test from another network, use dig/nslookup to confirm the A/AAAA records, ensure the webserver’s virtual host is configured for that hostname, and confirm ports 80/443 are reachable. Running authoritative DNS on the same machine is possible but requires registering glue/host records and handling redundancy/security — for most setups, using the registrar’s DNS or a managed DNS provider is simpler and more reliable.

Member Avatar for John A

Nevermind, I'm an idiot.

Member Avatar for betixx

I have the same problem. How do you finally solve to map your domain to the server ip?

Thanks!

commented: Don't revive a dead thread. Read the forum rules first -2
Member Avatar for rubberman

Login to godaddy.com, click on the "domains" tab. click on your domain name entry. Under the "DNS Manager" section, click on the "launch" link.

Member Avatar for gireeeesh

Same Problem

Edited by gireeeesh
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