How to Point a Domain Name to Your Server Print

To host a website or application on your own VPS or dedicated server, your domain name must point to the public IP address of the server.

This is done using DNS records.

This guide explains how to point a domain to a Linux server using A and AAAA records and how to verify that the DNS configuration is working correctly.

Before You Start

You will need:

• A registered domain name
• Access to the domain’s DNS management
• A VPS or dedicated server
• The public IPv4 address of your server
• The IPv6 address if you want to use IPv6

For this example, we will use:

Domain: example.com
Server IPv4: 192.0.2.10

Replace these values with your actual domain and server IP address.

Step 1: Find Your Server IP Address

On your Linux server, run:

ip addr

For IPv4 only:

ip -4 addr

For IPv6:

ip -6 addr

Make sure you use the public IP address assigned to your server.

Step 2: Open Your DNS Management

Log in to the company where your DNS zone is managed.

This may be:

• Your domain registrar
• Your hosting provider
• A dedicated DNS provider

Open the DNS management or DNS zone section for your domain.

Step 3: Create an A Record

An A record points a hostname to an IPv4 address.

Create:

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 192.0.2.10

The @ normally represents the root domain.

This makes:

example.com

point to:

192.0.2.10

The exact DNS interface may differ between providers.

Step 4: Configure the www Subdomain

To make:

www.example.com

work, you can create another A record:

Type: A
Name: www
Value: 192.0.2.10

Alternatively, you can create a CNAME:

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: example.com

This makes www.example.com follow the DNS destination of example.com.

Step 5: Configure IPv6 with an AAAA Record

If your server has IPv6 connectivity, create an AAAA record.

For example:

Type: AAAA
Name: @
Value: 2001:db8::10

For www:

Type: AAAA
Name: www
Value: 2001:db8::10

Replace the example IPv6 address with the address assigned to your server.

Do not create an AAAA record unless your server has working IPv6 connectivity.

Step 6: Save the DNS Changes

Save the new records.

DNS changes are not always visible everywhere immediately.

The time required depends on factors such as:

• DNS provider
• TTL
• Previous cached records
• Resolver caching

Avoid repeatedly changing DNS records while waiting for a previous change to propagate.

Step 7: Check the A Record

From Linux, install DNS utilities if required:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install dnsutils -y

Then run:

dig example.com A

You can request a shorter result:

dig +short example.com A

You should see your server’s IPv4 address.

Step 8: Check the AAAA Record

For IPv6:

dig example.com AAAA

or:

dig +short example.com AAAA

If you have configured IPv6, the correct IPv6 address should appear.

Step 9: Check the www Record

Run:

dig +short www.example.com

Confirm that it resolves to the expected destination.

Step 10: Test DNS with Another Resolver

You can query a specific public DNS resolver.

For example:

dig @1.1.1.1 example.com

or:

dig @8.8.8.8 example.com

This can help determine whether a DNS change is visible outside your local resolver.

DNS Works but the Website Does Not

If the domain resolves to the correct server IP but the website does not load, the problem may no longer be DNS.

Check whether your web server is running.

For Nginx:

sudo systemctl status nginx

For Apache:

sudo systemctl status apache2

Check listening ports:

sudo ss -ltnp

Web servers normally use:

80   HTTP
443  HTTPS

Check the Firewall

If UFW is enabled:

sudo ufw status

Make sure the required HTTP and HTTPS ports are allowed.

For example:

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

Do not expose unnecessary ports.

DNS vs Web Server Configuration

DNS and web server configuration are separate.

DNS tells users:

example.com → SERVER-IP

Your web server then determines which website or application should respond when traffic reaches that server.

Pointing a domain to your server does not automatically configure Nginx, Apache or SSL.

Install SSL After DNS Is Working

Before requesting a Let’s Encrypt certificate, make sure your domain resolves correctly to your server.

Verify:

dig +short example.com

Once DNS is correct and your web server is configured, you can install a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate using Certbot.

Common DNS Problems

Domain Points to the Wrong IP

Check:

dig +short example.com

If the returned IP is incorrect, review the A record in your DNS zone.

www Does Not Work

Check:

dig +short www.example.com

Make sure you have created an A, AAAA or CNAME record for www.

IPv4 Works but IPv6 Does Not

Check:

dig +short example.com AAAA

If an AAAA record exists but the server does not have working IPv6 connectivity, some visitors may experience connection problems.

Remove incorrect AAAA records or configure IPv6 correctly.

DNS Is Correct but Connection Is Refused

Check whether a service is listening:

sudo ss -ltnp | grep -E ':80|:443'

If nothing is listening, configure and start your web server.

Security Recommendation

Only point domains to servers that are properly configured and secured.

For public Linux servers:

• Keep the operating system updated
• Configure a firewall
• Secure SSH
• Enable HTTPS
• Disable unnecessary services
• Keep web server software updated

IDONCLOUD Server Infrastructure

IDONCLOUD provides VPS and Dedicated Server infrastructure for websites, applications and Linux workloads, with IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity.

Our Knowledge Base provides practical guides for DNS, Linux, networking and server administration.

Visit idoncloud.com to explore IDONCLOUD infrastructure.

Related Guides

• How to Install Let’s Encrypt SSL on Ubuntu with Certbot
• How to Install Nginx on Ubuntu
• How to Configure a Domain with Nginx
• How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
• How to Check Open Ports on a Linux Server
• How to Configure a Static IP Address on Ubuntu with Netplan