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To connect a domain to WordPress on a VPS, point the domain’s DNS records to the VPS’s stable public IP, configure the VPS web server to answer both the root and www hostnames, set WordPress’s canonical URL, and then issue a TLS certificate. DNS only directs visitors to the server; Nginx or Apache still has to select the correct WordPress files.
This guide assumes WordPress, PHP, a database, and a web server are already installed on a Linux VPS. The exact control-panel labels, file paths, firewall commands, and configuration syntax depend on your distribution, provider, and whether you use Nginx or Apache.
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Have these items ready before editing the domain:
- A WordPress installation that works locally through the VPS’s existing address or temporary hostname.
- A public, stable IPv4 address for the VPS.
- Access to the authoritative DNS host. This may be your registrar, a separate DNS provider, or a hosting control panel.
- Administrative access to the VPS so you can edit the Nginx server block or Apache virtual host, reload the service, and open ports 80 and 443 if necessary.
- The final hostname you want visitors and search engines to use: either the apex form such as
example.comor thewwwform such aswww.example.com.
Reserve a permanent address
Do not point DNS at an address that can change when the VPS stops, starts, or is rebuilt. If your provider assigns ephemeral addresses, reserve an Elastic IP or equivalent first. A DNS record associates a domain or subdomain with an IP address or hostname; if that address changes, visitors can be sent to the wrong server until you update DNS and caches expire.
Identify the authoritative DNS host
Make changes where the domain’s active nameservers are hosted, not necessarily where the domain was purchased. A registrar can sell the domain while another company answers DNS queries. If you edit records in the wrong dashboard, public lookups will not change.
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Back up the existing DNS zone
Before adding or deleting anything, export the zone or copy every current record to a dated text file. Include record type, name, value, priority, and TTL. This backup is especially important when the domain already handles email, an online shop, an application, verification records, or other subdomains.
Preserve MX records and their priorities, TXT records used for email authentication or service verification, and any existing records for mail, shop, app, API, staging, or other hosts. The safest change is normally to add or edit only the web records rather than replacing the entire zone.
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Choose between changing nameservers and editing records
Change nameservers when the domain is dedicated to this site
Changing nameservers delegates the whole DNS zone to a new DNS or hosting provider. That can simplify management when the domain has no email or other services and the new provider supplies all required records automatically. Delegation affects every hostname under the domain, so confirm the new zone contains anything you still need before switching.
Edit individual records when other services must remain online
Leave the current nameservers in place when email, a store, an app, or unrelated subdomains already use the domain. Add the VPS web records at the current authoritative DNS host and leave the other records untouched. WordPress guidance identifies this record-editing approach as the safer option for an active domain with existing services.
| Approach | What changes | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Nameserver delegation | The entire DNS zone moves to another provider | A domain used only for the new website, with no records that need to stay at the current provider |
| Individual record edits | Only the web hostnames are pointed at the VPS | A domain that must keep existing email, applications, stores, or subdomains working |
Add the DNS records for the VPS
Create the apex A record
At the authoritative DNS host, create an A record for the root or apex name. Most interfaces display the name as @, an empty field, or the domain itself. Set its value to the VPS public IPv4 address.
Create the www alias
Create a CNAME record named www whose target is the apex domain, for example example.com. Some providers require a trailing dot or automatically append the domain; follow that provider’s format. If the provider gives exact records for a managed setup, use those values instead of the illustrative pattern below.
| Type | Name | Value | Illustrative TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | @ |
203.0.113.10 |
3600 seconds |
| CNAME | www |
example.com |
3600 seconds |
The address 203.0.113.10 is an example only; replace it with your VPS address. A 3600-second TTL is an illustrative value, not a requirement. Lowering a TTL before a planned migration can make caches expire sooner, but it does not force every resolver to refresh immediately.
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Check for an interfering AAAA record
An AAAA record sends IPv6 visitors to an IPv6 address. If an old AAAA record points to another server, some visitors can see a different site even though the A record is correct. Remove or update the obsolete AAAA record only after confirming that the replacement server has working IPv6. Do not delete a valid IPv6 configuration just because the VPS also has IPv4.
Do not overwrite mail and service records
Adding only an A record and a CNAME should not affect mail. Replacing the zone with a two-line web-only zone can stop mail delivery and break verification services. Compare the edited zone with your backup before saving.
Wait for DNS propagation and verify it
DNS resolvers cache answers according to TTL, and nameserver changes can take up to 72 hours to be visible everywhere. Record edits often appear sooner, but timing varies by provider and by resolver cache. Do not keep changing records simply because one network still shows the old address.
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Use dig from more than one network
From a workstation or shell, run:
dig example.com +short
dig www.example.com +shortThe apex lookup should return the VPS IPv4 address. The www lookup may display the CNAME target first and then the resulting address, depending on the resolver. Repeat from another network, such as a mobile connection, if local caching is suspected.
Confirm the authoritative answer when results disagree
If a lookup still returns an old address, verify that you edited the authoritative DNS host and that the record name is correct. A stale answer usually means TTL or propagation delay; an unchanged answer from every network usually means the wrong zone was edited or another record, such as AAAA, is taking precedence for some clients.
Configure Nginx or Apache for both hostnames
DNS gets a request to the VPS, but the web server decides which site files to serve. Configure the existing web server only after DNS points to the machine. Your virtual host or server block must include both the apex and www names, use the WordPress document root, and send PHP requests to the installed PHP-FPM service.
Nginx server block requirements
- Set the host list to include
example.comandwww.example.com. - Set the root directive to the directory containing
wp-admin,wp-content, andwp-includes. - Use the PHP-FPM socket or upstream appropriate to your installed PHP version.
- Use a WordPress front-controller rule so requests that are not physical files are passed to
index.php. - Enable the site, disable or supersede the default site if it captures the request, validate the configuration, and reload Nginx.
Configuration file names and PHP-FPM socket paths differ between distributions. Copy the syntax used by your operating system’s package and WordPress image rather than pasting a command intended for a different release.
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Apache virtual host requirements
- Set
ServerNameto the canonical hostname andServerAliasto the alternate hostname. - Point
DocumentRootat the WordPress directory. - Enable the rewrite functionality required by WordPress permalinks and allow the site’s
.htaccessrules when your installation uses them. - Pass PHP to the PHP handler configured by your distribution.
- Enable the site, test the configuration, and reload Apache.
Recognize the default-page symptom
If the browser shows the web server’s default page, DNS is probably reaching the VPS but the hostname does not match the intended virtual host or server block. Check that both names are spelled correctly, the site is enabled, the document root is correct, and the service was reloaded after editing.
Set WordPress’s canonical address
WordPress stores two related values: WordPress Address (URL), which identifies the installation, and Site Address (URL), which identifies the public site. Set both consistently to the final HTTPS hostname you selected:
https://example.com, if the apex is canonical; orhttps://www.example.com, ifwwwis canonical.
Do not set one value to the apex and the other to www unless you deliberately understand the resulting behavior. A mismatch can create redirect loops, login failures, or links that switch hostnames.
Change the values through the dashboard
- Sign in to WordPress administration.
- Open Settings and then General.
- Change WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) to the same final HTTPS hostname.
- Save the changes, then test an incognito browser window and the login URL.
Make this change only when the web server already answers the selected hostname. If you change the address too early, the dashboard can become inaccessible.
Recover from an inaccessible dashboard
If the URL change locks you out, restore the previous values through the database or the site’s configuration file using the recovery procedure documented for your hosting image. The exact SQL, file path, and syntax vary by distribution and installation, so there is no single command that is safe to present as universal. Take a database backup before making a recovery edit.
Issue and install HTTPS after DNS works
Request a certificate only after both hostnames resolve to the VPS and the web server answers them. A certificate authority must be able to validate control of the names. Obtain a Let’s Encrypt certificate or another trusted certificate covering the hostname you will publish and its alternate, then install the complete certificate chain in the TLS configuration.
Prepare validation
- Confirm that the apex and
wwwresolve to this VPS. - Allow inbound TCP traffic on ports 80 and 443 through the VPS firewall and any provider firewall.
- Remove conflicting AAAA records or point them to the same server.
- Check for restrictive CAA records that do not authorize the certificate authority you selected.
Configure TLS and redirects
Install the certificate and private key according to your web server’s security documentation. For Nginx, configure the TLS server block with the full certificate chain; for Apache, configure the corresponding SSL virtual host and chain file. Keep an HTTP listener available long enough to answer the certificate challenge and then redirect HTTP requests to the canonical HTTPS URL.
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Redirect the noncanonical hostname to the canonical one as well. For example, if the apex is canonical, redirect both http://www.example.com and https://www.example.com to https://example.com. Ensure the redirect rules do not send the canonical URL back to itself.
Test the completed connection
- Open the apex over HTTP and HTTPS.
- Open the
wwwhostname over HTTP and HTTPS. - Confirm that the chosen canonical form remains in the address bar and that the alternate form redirects once to it.
- Sign in to the WordPress dashboard, open several posts, and upload or view a media item.
- Inspect the browser developer tools for certificate errors, redirect loops, and mixed-content warnings.
- Send a test email to and from an address on the domain if the site uses domain email.
- Check important subdomains and application endpoints that were present in the DNS backup.
Mixed-content warnings usually mean that images, scripts, stylesheets, or stored links still use http://. Update those references with a WordPress-aware migration method and take a backup first; do not blindly replace text in the database without accounting for serialized data.
Diagnose common failures
dig returns the old address
Wait for the record’s TTL and broader propagation period, then confirm that the edit was made at the authoritative DNS host. Check both A and AAAA records. If only one network is stale, its resolver cache has not expired.
The apex works but www fails
Verify that a www CNAME exists and targets the intended apex. Then add both names to the Nginx server block or Apache virtual host and include both names on the certificate. A correct CNAME alone cannot fix a web server that does not recognize the hostname.
The default Nginx or Apache page appears
The request reached the VPS, but the hostname selected the default site. Check the host-name directives, enabled-site links, document root, and service reload. Also verify that another server block is not marked as the default for that address.
Certificate issuance fails
Run fresh DNS lookups, check ports 80 and 443 at both the VPS and provider firewall, inspect AAAA records, and review CAA restrictions. The certificate request must validate every hostname included in the request.
Email stopped after the website change
Restore the MX, TXT, and any mail-related records from the backup. Do not replace the zone with only the A and CNAME records. Once mail records are restored, allow their TTLs to expire and test delivery in both directions.
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Some visitors see the old site
Do not make repeated DNS edits immediately. Compare results from several networks, note which record each resolver returns, and wait for cached answers to expire. If the old site persists beyond the expected propagation window, investigate stale A or AAAA records and confirm the domain’s nameservers.
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The apex and www forms are both valid. Choose one for branding, cookies, analytics, and search consistency, then redirect the other form to it. Whichever you choose, configure both names in the web server and certificate. The choice changes the redirect target, not the basic DNS process.
Provider-managed DNS or registrar DNS?
Provider-managed DNS can integrate domain pointing, certificate issuance, and server setup, while keeping DNS at the registrar preserves the current arrangement and may be preferable when many services already depend on it. Neither option removes the need to back up the zone, preserve mail records, and verify the authoritative answers.
Quick completion checklist
- The VPS has a reserved, stable public IP.
- The current DNS zone is backed up.
- You chose nameserver delegation or individual record edits based on existing services.
- The apex A record points to the VPS IPv4 address.
- The
wwwCNAME points to the apex or uses the provider’s required target. - Obsolete AAAA records are removed or corrected.
- MX, TXT, and unrelated subdomain records remain intact.
digshows the intended answers from more than one network.- Nginx or Apache serves WordPress for both hostnames.
- WordPress Address and Site Address use one consistent canonical HTTPS hostname.
- The certificate covers the canonical and alternate names, with the complete chain installed.
- HTTP and the noncanonical hostname redirect correctly, and the site, dashboard, media, and email all work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I point a domain to a VPS without changing nameservers?
Yes. Keep the existing nameservers and edit only the apex A record and the www CNAME when email or other services already use the domain.
How long does it take for the domain to work?
Record changes depend on TTL and resolver caches. Nameserver changes can take up to 72 hours to appear everywhere.
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Use an apex A record for the root domain and normally a www CNAME for the alternate hostname, unless your DNS provider specifies a different arrangement.
Why does WordPress show a redirect loop after I add HTTPS?
Check that both WordPress URL fields, the TLS configuration, and the HTTP-to-HTTPS rule agree on one canonical hostname and scheme.
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