When purchasing a domain, you need to associate it with a hosting service. To do this, you must configure the nameservers and necessary DNS records.

What are Nameservers?
Let’s begin by explaining what DNS (Domain Name System) is. DNS is a system that translates a domain name into the IP address of a server.

Nameservers (NS) are servers that contain information about the domain and tell the browser where to find the website—making them one of the most important elements of DNS. The nameservers provided by IPHost are:

1. dns1.innovahosting.net
2. dns2.innovahosting.net

When a domain is purchased from a provider, the provider’s nameservers are usually included by default. However, it’s also possible to change them to those of another provider, such as the hosting provider’s nameservers.

How to Change Nameservers?
To change the nameservers of your domain, you first need to log in to the domain’s management panel provided by the domain registrar.

1. Navigate to My Domains under the Domains section.
   

   

2. Access Manage Nameservers from the settings of the domain you want to update.
   

   

3. Then, simply replace the nameservers and wait up to 24–48 hours for global DNS propagation.
   
   

What are DNS Records?
DNS records are instructions (another key DNS component) saved in your domain’s DNS zone that define how traffic is routed. Types of DNS records include:

1. A record: Links a domain to the IP address of a server.
2. AAAA record: Links a domain to an IPv6 address.
3. CNAME record: Creates an alias for another domain. Example: www.example.com → example.com.
4. MX record: Specifies the email servers for the domain. At IPHost, MX records typically point to mail.yourdomain.com or simply yourdomain.com.

   mail.yourdomain.com: This is a very frequent setup. It makes the purpose of the record clear (it's the mail server) and can simplify moving email services to a different server later, as you'd only need to change the A record for mail.yourdomain.com if the IP changes, without touching the MX record itself.

   yourdomain.com (or @): This is also used, especially if the mail server is on the same IP address as the main website and there's no specific subdomain designated for mail. Some providers, like Google Workspace, instruct users to point their MX records directly to @ or leave the host field blank.

5. TXT record: Used for Google verification, SPF, DKIM, etc.

There are more types of records, but these are the most commonly used.

Note! The difference between nameservers and DNS records:
Nameservers determine where the DNS records are stored and managed.
DNS records contain technical information about how the domain behaves (IP, email, redirections, and more).

How to Manually Edit DNS Records?
DNS records can be edited either from the domain registrar’s management panel (if you’re using their nameservers) or from cPanel (if you're using the hosting provider’s nameservers).
Editing DNS Records from the Registrar's Panel
If you prefer to keep the registrar’s nameservers, then the DNS records must be manually configured in their panel.

1. Log in to the domain management account provided by the registrar.
2. Navigate to the DNS Management or Manage DNS section, depending on the provider.
   
   
   
   
3. Locate the DNS zone and view existing records (A, CNAME, MX, etc.). If no DNS zone exists, create one by clicking Add DNS Zone.
   
   
   
   
4. Add or edit DNS records to point the domain to the hosting server or configure other functionalities, depending on your needs. Make sure you select the correct record type, such as TXT for SPF or DKIM records.
   
   
   
   
5. Save the changes and wait for propagation. It may take up to 24–48 hours for the changes to take effect.
   Example:
   If your hosting provider gives you the IP address 192.168.1.2, you can add the following records:

                    A record: example.com → 192.168.1.2
                    CNAME record: www.example.com → example.com

Editing DNS Records from cPanel
If you choose to use the hosting provider’s nameservers, DNS changes are made directly in cPanel.

1. Log in to your cPanel account and access the Zone Editor from the Domains section.
   
   
   
   
2. Select the domain or add it if it’s not already added, then choose the type of record you want to add or modify.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Enter the new values for the DNS records.
   
   
   
   
4. Save the changes and wait for DNS propagation, which can take up to 24–48 hours.

What is DNS Propagation?
DNS propagation is the time it takes for your changes (to nameservers or DNS records) to spread across the internet. It typically takes 24–48 hours. During this period, your website may not be accessible to everyone or may work intermittently.

How to Check if the Changes Are Working?
There are several ways to check the propagation of DNS records after creating or editing them, but the easiest is using an online tool: https://dnschecker.org/, where you can input the domain to check its DNS records.