{"id":213769,"date":"2022-12-01T02:50:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T02:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/?p=213769"},"modified":"2022-12-01T02:50:23","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T02:50:23","slug":"point-domain-wpmu-dev-hosting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/point-domain-wpmu-dev-hosting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Point a Domain to WPMU DEV Hosting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pointing domains\u2026 nameservers\u2026 figuring out DNS&#8230; it can all feel daunting! Fortunately, WPMU DEV makes it easy, whether you\u2019re working with <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/domains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a domain purchased from us<\/a> or from another provider. We break it all down in this article.<\/p>\n<p>Keep reading to learn how to easily connect your domain to our <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hosting service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the topics we\u2019ll be covering:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#wpmudev-hosting\">Connecting Your Domain To WPMU DEV Hosting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#prepping\">Prepping for a Change in Domain Nameservers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#importing\">Importing Your Domain Records to WPMU DEV<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#input-nameservers\">Putting WPMU DEV Nameservers in Your Domain Registry Records<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#confirm\">Double-Checking Your Changes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#summary\">The Benefits of Pointing Domains to WPMU DEV Nameservers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"wpmudev-hosting\">Connecting Your Domain To WPMU DEV Hosting<\/h2>\n<p>With our new domain service recently rolled out, you can directly <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/domains\/\" target=\"_blank\">purchase domains and register them through WPMU DEV<\/a> \u2013 in which case we automatically do the DNS hookup (i.e., the pointing part) for you.<\/p>\n<p>If you purchased your domain through another DNS provider and are hosting with us, the tutorial below will show you exactly what you need to do and explain why this is also a great choice.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"prepping\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>Prepping for a Change in Domain Nameservers<\/h2>\n<p>Nameservers are often referred to as the phone book of the internet, sending you to the correct domain when you type in a web address.<\/p>\n<p>There are two primary components to making your website accessible to the public:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Your domain name (purchased from a registrar)<\/li>\n<li>Nameservers (provided through a host)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The first must point to the second to connect the two.<\/p>\n<p>The registrar you purchased your domain from also has its own nameservers (if it offers hosting), however if you want them managed elsewhere you must change the DNS records.<\/p>\n<p>Doing it all from a single location is ideal, as it cuts out the middle agent and puts the same quality that powers your sites behind your DNS.<\/p>\n<p>DNS propagation is the term for your site\u2019s nameservers and other records (e.g., A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, etc) updating across the web. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple days to finalize.<\/p>\n<p>If your site was already live, it might become briefly inaccessible to visitors during the nameserver change.\u00a0You could create a temporary page with info regarding the approximate downtime, then publish it just prior to the server change. (Remember to change it back once the process is complete).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also helpful to handle nameserver changes during a period when traffic volume is typically on the low end.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"importing\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>Importing Your Domain Records to WPMU DEV<\/h2>\n<p>Alright, we\u2019re ready to start our edits. The first thing we\u2019re going to do is navigate to <em>The Hub<\/em> on WPMU DEV.<\/p>\n<p>Click on <strong>Domains <\/strong>from the top menu bar, then <strong>Connected Domains<\/strong> from the submenu, then the <strong>Connect Existing Domain <\/strong>button.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_213771\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-caption=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-ratio-full wp-image-213771\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/001-connected-domains-populated-and-unpopulated-wpmudev-1050x1366.png\" alt=\"connected domains - populated and unpopulated (wpmudev)\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1366\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Connecting domains in <strong>WPMU DEV<\/strong>\u2019s <em>The Hub<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <strong>Add New Domain<\/strong> modal will pop up. Here you will enter your domain name in the text field \u2013 making sure to include the extension (e.g. <em>.com, .net<\/em>,<em> .xyz<\/em>) \u2013 then click the blue button.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_213772\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-caption=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-213772\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/002-add-domain-step-1.png\" alt=\"add domain (step 1)\" width=\"927\" height=\"569\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Step 1 of 2 in <strong>WPMU DEV<\/strong>\u2019s <em>Add New Domain<\/em> modal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Hub DNS Manager will run a scan for common DNS records, then automatically import and list them for your verification.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_213773\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-caption=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-ratio-full wp-image-213773\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/003-setup-dns-step-2-1050x738.png\" alt=\"setup dns (step 2)\" width=\"1050\" height=\"738\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Verifying the scanned records to import into a <strong>WPMU DEV<\/strong> DNS configuration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here you\u2019ll see the summary of record information, which will include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Type <\/strong>\u2013 A, CNAME, MX, TXT<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hostname <\/strong>\u2013 @ for root; www for <em>www.<\/em> subdomain<\/li>\n<li><strong>Value <\/strong>\u2013 if record is an alias, directs, or returns<\/li>\n<li><strong>TTL (seconds)<\/strong> \u2013 Time To Live is how long the DNS query caches before expiring and needing a new one. (The lower this number, the better\/faster.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can remove any records, if you want to exclude them from being imported, by clicking on the Trashcan icon.<\/p>\n<p>You can also manually add any records that are missing. See <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/docs\/hub-2-0\/domains\/#add-or-edit-dns-records\" target=\"_blank\">Add or Edit DNS Records<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re in any doubt as to whether records should be added or deleted, just reach out to <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/get-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">support<\/a> (any time, day or night) and they\u2019ll happily walk you through it.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re satisfied with the populated DNS records, click the blue button once more.<\/p>\n<p>After the ellipsis bounce, the page will load with the imported information specific to your domain.<\/p>\n<p>WPMU DEV nameservers are listed towards the top of this page, where you\u2019ll see there are three of them.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_213774\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-caption=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-ratio-full wp-image-213774\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/004-wpmudev-nameservers-1050x576.png\" alt=\"wpmudev nameservers\" width=\"1050\" height=\"576\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>WPMU DEV<\/strong>\u2019s trio of nameservers, ready to copy\/paste into your domain registry records.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Keep your Hub page open, as we\u2019ll be copying &amp; pasting the nameservers in the next step. (Or, do what I do, and just copy the first one, then replace the \u201c1\u201d with \u201c2\u201d then \u201c3\u201d as you paste each, since these ordinal numbers are the only difference.)<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"input-nameservers\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>Putting WPMU DEV Nameservers in Your Domain Registry Records<\/h2>\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve imported your domain details into WPMU DEV, the next step is to overwrite the nameserver records of your registrars with ours.<\/p>\n<p>There are a lot of registrars, so how your domain details are kept and displayed will vary, but they should all have the same key elements. We cover <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/docs\/hosting\/dns-and-domain-management\/#registrar-guides\" target=\"_blank\">more than a dozen of the most popular ones here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of registrars that serve as hosts, what they permit when it comes to allowable changes in nameservers can vary. For example, pointing nameservers to another host is not permissible for a Wix-purchased domain. However, you can transfer your domain away from them (although it involves a different process).<\/p>\n<p>Assuming your domain registrar allows for pointing nameservers away from them, or that you\u2019ve taken any necessary prior steps in preparation, login to their website and locate the records for your domain.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_213775\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-caption=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-213775 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/005-namecheap-nameservers-orig.gif\" alt=\"namecheap nameservers (orig)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"748\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Changing nameservers through the Registrar; in this case, <strong>Namecheap<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Popping back over to the Hub, copy that first nameserver, then head back to your domain registrar details page, pasting it in the appropriate text field. Do this for all three nameservers, then save your input.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on your registrar, you\u2019ll probably get a confirmation message with time estimates on how long it will take the DNS hosting server to update.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s rare, but on the outside chance your domain registrar requires identifying our <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/docs\/hub-2-0\/domains\/#connected-domains-nameservers\" target=\"_blank\">nameservers by IP address, you can find them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"confirm\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>Double-Checking Your Changes<\/h2>\n<p>As with any significant edit, verifying everything is working as it should is an important last step.<\/p>\n<p>Some registrars will send you an email notifying you that the propagation is complete. With others, you might need to revisit the site and continue checking.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, we can verify things through The Hub. Let\u2019s head there, and navigate to <strong>Domains &gt; Connected Domains<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For the domain name in question, if you see the green check marked <em>Propagated correctly<\/em> under Nameservers Status \u2013 you&#8217;re good to go. If it says <em>Pending<\/em>, click on the vertical ellipsis icon to the right, and select <strong>Manage DNS<\/strong> from the dropdown.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_213778\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-caption=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-ratio-full wp-image-213778\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/006-connected-domains-manage-dns-wpmudev-1-1050x668.png\" alt=\"onnected domains manage dns (wpmudev)\" width=\"1050\" height=\"668\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Managing DNS through <strong>WPMU DEV<\/strong>\u2019s <em>The Hub<\/em> is effortless.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If everything was done properly and the process has completed, you\u2019ll see a row of green highlighted text, confirming <em>Your nameservers are propagated correctly<\/em>. If that message isn&#8217;t displayed, click on the <strong>Check nameservers<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_213777\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-caption=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-ratio-full wp-image-213777\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/007-check-dns-nameservers-propagating-correctly-wmpmudev-1050x519.png\" alt=\"check dns - nameservers propagating correctly (wpmudev)\" width=\"1050\" height=\"519\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Success! Nameservers have been propagated to <strong>WPMU DEV<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You\u2019re all set! Your nameservers are successfully pointing to WPMU DEV as your acting DNS provider.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t get a confirmation or see an error message, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/docs\/hub-2-0\/domains\/\" target=\"_blank\">detailed documentation<\/a>, or reach out to our <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/get-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">always-on-call support team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As an additional option, you can use this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whois.com\/whois\/\" target=\"_blank\">DNS propagation checker<\/a> to verify the current IP address and DNS record information for your domain name(s).<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"summary\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>The Benefits of Pointing Domains to WPMU DEV Nameservers<\/h2>\n<p>Nameservers are essential in directing internet traffic as they locate and translate hostnames into IP addresses.<\/p>\n<p>If you host your own or your client sites with WPMU DEV, pointing your domains to our nameservers has definite advantages.<\/p>\n<p>For starters, subpar nameservers will experience difficulties more often, and your visitors could get \u201cDNS server not responding\u201d messages. Quality nameservers, like ours, can limit or avoid that altogether.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, pointing your domains to our nameservers allows you to keep the settings with your current email client as is, eliminating the hassle of making a bunch of changes in that regard. (Just make sure existing MX records are imported during the DNS record setup.)<\/p>\n<p>Finally, with the ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/domains\/\" target=\"_blank\">purchase domains now directly through WPMU DEV<\/a>, managing client sites becomes even more centralized, as your hosting provider and domain provider will be one in the same.<\/p>\n<p>This gives you all of your domains in one place\/one dashboard, with auto renewal, free protection, and a built-in grace period; priced incredibly low for all members on paid plans.<\/p>\n<p>Not a member yet? Give us a go, and see how much <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\">our hosting has to offer<\/a>. If you\u2019re not thrilled, we\u2019ll refund you 100%; simply cancel within 30 days. Chances are good you\u2019ll find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.g2.com\/products\/wpmu-dev\/reviews\" target=\"_blank\">our value and service are unmatched<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: Updated on February 21, 2023, to reflect that our in-house domains are now available to all paid-plan WPMU DEV members, no longer just Premium\u00a0members.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pointing domains\u2026 nameservers\u2026 figuring out DNS&#8230; it can all feel daunting! Fortunately, WPMU DEV makes it easy, whether you\u2019re working with a domain purchased from us or from another provider. We break it all down in this article. Keep reading to learn how to easily connect your domain to our hosting service. Here are the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":915455,"featured_media":215335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"blog_reading_time":"7","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_tutorials_categories":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[263,11260,11259],"tags":[],"tutorials_categories":[11233],"class_list":["post-213769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","category-wpmu-dev-products","category-wpmudev-tutorials","tutorials_categories-hosting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/915455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213769"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214751,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213769\/revisions\/214751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213769"},{"taxonomy":"tutorials_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tutorials_categories?post=213769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}