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Use custom nameservers only when another DNS service will host your domain’s zone. If GoDaddy should continue hosting DNS, leave the domain on GoDaddy’s default nameservers and change the A records for @ and www to your VPS public IPv4 address. Custom nameservers are a delegation change: DNS control moves out of GoDaddy, so you must recreate every required record—especially mail records—at the new DNS host before switching.
This guide covers both paths, with the custom-nameserver migration in detail, verification commands, VPS web-server requirements, propagation expectations and recovery steps if the domain or email stops resolving.
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Your registrar account and your DNS host are separate roles. GoDaddy can remain the registrar while either GoDaddy or a different provider answers DNS queries for the domain.
- Registrar: keeps the domain registered and controls its delegation (the nameservers).
- Authoritative DNS host: stores the zone and publishes records such as
A,AAAA,MX,TXTandCNAME. - VPS: receives traffic after the DNS records point to its public IP and its web server is configured for the hostname.
Changing an A record changes where a hostname resolves. Changing nameservers changes which company or server is authoritative for the entire zone. The second operation affects every record, not just the website.
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Choose the correct path before changing anything
| Situation | What to change | Where records are managed afterward | Relative risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| You want GoDaddy to keep hosting DNS | Edit the A records for @ and www to the VPS IP |
GoDaddy DNS management | Lower; only the web destinations change |
| You already use, or specifically need, an external DNS host | Copy the zone, create it at the new host, then delegate the domain to its nameservers | The external DNS provider | Higher; missing records can break web services and email |
| You run authoritative DNS on another machine | Publish a complete zone there, then enter that server’s nameservers at GoDaddy | Your DNS servers | Highest operational responsibility; both DNS servers must be reachable and correctly configured |
For a single VPS website, custom nameservers are usually unnecessary. They make sense when you need an external provider’s DNS features, centralized management for several services, an API, dynamic records, or a DNS server you operate yourself.
Prepare the VPS and collect the information you need
Record the VPS address
Copy the VPS provider’s public IPv4 address exactly. Do not use a private address such as 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x–172.31.x.x or 192.168.x.x; those are not reachable from the public internet. If the VPS also has a public IPv6 address and your web server is configured for IPv6, record it separately for a later AAAA record.
Inventory the current DNS zone
Before a nameserver change, copy every existing record from GoDaddy’s DNS page. At minimum, capture:
AandAAAArecords for the root domain and subdomains;MXrecords, including their priority values, for email delivery;TXTrecords used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, domain verification and other services;CNAMErecords for aliases such aswww, mail-related hostnames or verification targets;SRV,CAAand any other records used by applications.
Take a screenshot or export a text copy with each record’s name, type, value, priority and TTL. A nameserver switch does not automatically copy this data to the new provider.
Confirm the final hostnames
Decide whether the root domain (example.com), www.example.com and any application subdomains should all reach the VPS. The root and www records are independent; changing one does not change the other.
Option 1: Point the domain by editing GoDaddy DNS records
This is the common VPS setup when GoDaddy’s default nameservers are already active.
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- Sign in to GoDaddy and open the domain’s management page.
- Open DNS or Manage DNS. Confirm that the domain is using GoDaddy’s default nameservers, rather than an external pair.
- Find the
Arecord whose host or name is@. Edit its value to the VPS public IPv4 address. Keep the existing TTL unless you have a reason to change it. - Find the record for
www. If it is anArecord, set it to the same VPS IPv4 address. If it is aCNAMEpointing to@, it can usually remain as it is because it follows the root record. - Remove an old parking
Arecord or any second, conflictingArecord for the same hostname. Multiple addresses can produce intermittent results while resolvers rotate between them. - Save the records and wait for DNS caches to expire. Do not delete
MX,TXTor unrelated records merely because the website is moving.
After this change, GoDaddy remains the authoritative DNS host. You do not select “I’ll use my own nameservers” for this path.
Option 2: Point the domain with custom nameservers
Use this procedure when an external DNS provider—or your own authoritative DNS servers—will host the zone.
Step 1: Build the new DNS zone before delegation
Create a zone for your domain at the new DNS host. Add the VPS website records there first:
| Name | Type | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
@ |
A |
Your VPS public IPv4 address | Root domain |
www |
A or CNAME |
The VPS IPv4 address, or a CNAME target that ultimately resolves to it | Web alias |
| Existing mail hostnames | As previously recorded | Copy the old values exactly | Preserve email routing |
| Existing verification and policy records | TXT, CAA, SRV and others as applicable |
Copy the old values exactly | Preserve service validation and policies |
Do not delegate the domain until the new provider shows the zone as complete. If the provider supplies two or more authoritative nameserver hostnames, copy them exactly, including any required trailing dot shown in its interface.
Step 2: Check the new zone independently
Use the new provider’s preview or test function if available. Verify that the zone contains the expected A, MX and TXT values. If the provider offers assigned nameservers but reports that the zone is not active, resolve that status before changing GoDaddy.
Step 3: Enter the custom nameservers in GoDaddy
- In GoDaddy, open the domain settings.
- Open DNS, then the Nameservers tab. Menu wording can vary by region and account interface.
- Select “I’ll use my own nameservers” (or the equivalent custom-nameserver option).
- Enter every nameserver hostname supplied by the new DNS provider. Do not enter the VPS website IP in these fields; nameserver fields require hostnames.
- Click Save, then Continue if GoDaddy displays that confirmation step.
GoDaddy now delegates the domain to the new DNS host. From this point forward, edits made in GoDaddy’s old DNS-record editor will not affect resolvers that have learned the new delegation.
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Step 4: Keep the old zone intact temporarily
Do not immediately delete the old GoDaddy records. Some resolvers will still have the previous delegation cached, while others use the new nameservers. Keeping the old zone available during the transition gives those resolvers a working answer and makes rollback possible.
Configure the VPS web server for the domain
DNS only delivers the request to the VPS. The web server must still recognize the requested hostname and serve the correct site.
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In the relevant server block, set the hostnames in server_name, for example:
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /var/www/example;
}Use your distribution’s normal site-enable and configuration-test procedure, then reload Nginx. The exact file path differs by operating system.
Apache
In the site’s virtual-host configuration, set ServerName and any aliases:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/example
</VirtualHost>Enable the site, test the configuration and reload Apache. Ensure the VPS firewall and cloud firewall allow inbound TCP ports 80 and 443.
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HTTPS certificates
Request or renew the certificate only after the hostname resolves to the VPS and the web server answers on port 80 or the certificate authority’s required challenge path. A DNS change does not automatically issue a new certificate.
Propagation: what to expect after saving
Nameserver and record changes are cached by recursive resolvers. GoDaddy’s help guidance says most changes take effect within about one hour, while complete global updates can take up to 48 hours. These are expectations, not a guarantee for every resolver; local caches, TTL values and the resolver’s refresh behavior affect the observed timing.
During a nameserver migration, different users can temporarily receive answers from different authorities. That is why the new zone should contain all records before delegation and why email records must be copied rather than recreated from memory.
Verify the delegation, website and email
Check nameservers
Query the delegation from several networks or public DNS-checking services. On a Unix-like computer, you can use:
dig NS example.com +shortThe result should list the new provider’s nameserver hostnames after propagation. If it still lists GoDaddy’s nameservers, the delegation has not reached that resolver yet or the change was not saved.
Check the website addresses
dig A example.com +short
dig A www.example.com +shortBoth commands should return the VPS public IPv4 address, unless www intentionally uses a CNAME. To inspect the complete answer and TTL, omit +short. On Windows, nslookup example.com and nslookup www.example.com provide the equivalent basic check.
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Check IPv6 deliberately
dig AAAA example.com +shortIf an old AAAA record points to another server, IPv6-capable visitors may bypass the VPS even when the A record is correct. Remove or update the record only when the VPS is ready to serve IPv6 traffic.
Check mail routing
dig MX example.com +shortCompare the result with the records you copied. Also check the domain’s TXT records if your mail provider relies on SPF, DKIM or DMARC:
dig TXT example.com +shortSend a controlled test message in both directions after the new records appear. A working website does not prove that email survived the nameserver migration.
Troubleshoot the most common failures
The domain shows a parking page
Look for an old GoDaddy parking A record or a second A record at the currently authoritative DNS host. Remove the conflicting record, then wait for cached answers to expire. If the domain uses custom nameservers, make this correction at the external DNS provider—not in GoDaddy’s former record list.
The domain still resolves to the old server
First query the nameservers. If the old nameservers are returned, delegation is still propagating or was not saved. If the new nameservers are returned but the old IP remains, inspect the A record in the new zone and its TTL. Test from a second resolver or network to distinguish a local cache from an authoritative-zone error.
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The root works but www fails
Check that a separate www record exists in the active zone. If it is a CNAME, verify its target and make sure the target eventually resolves to the VPS. Also add www to the Nginx server_name or Apache ServerAlias.
Email stops arriving
Compare the active zone’s MX records with the pre-change copy, including priorities and destination hostnames. Restore missing MX, SPF, DKIM or DMARC records at the active DNS host. Do not point an MX record at the website’s IP unless your mail server is actually configured to receive mail there.
HTTPS shows the wrong certificate
Confirm that both the root and www names resolve to the VPS, that the virtual host includes both names, and that the certificate covers both names. An old IPv6 record or a proxy service can send some clients to a different endpoint.
How to roll back safely
- Keep the complete pre-change DNS copy and the old GoDaddy zone available.
- If the new DNS provider is failing, restore the previous nameservers in GoDaddy’s Nameservers tab.
- Click Save and Continue when prompted, then wait for delegation caches to expire.
- Leave the old records unchanged until the rollback is visible from multiple resolvers.
- Correct the new zone, verify its web and mail records, and attempt the migration again only after the zone is complete.
A rollback cannot instantly override cached delegations. Users may continue reaching the new or old authority for part of the propagation window.
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Operational practices after the move
- Document which provider is authoritative and where each record is maintained.
- Keep at least two authoritative nameservers when your DNS provider requires or offers them.
- Lower TTLs ahead of a planned migration only if you can do so before the change; lowering a TTL after caching has begun does not retroactively shorten existing caches.
- Restrict DNS-edit permissions and enable account security controls available from both GoDaddy and the DNS provider.
- Review the zone after adding services. Email platforms, payment systems, certificate authorities and SaaS tools often require new TXT or CNAME records.
Decision checklist
- Choose GoDaddy DNS plus an
A-record edit when the VPS is the only destination and you do not need another DNS host. - Choose custom nameservers when an external provider or self-managed DNS server must be authoritative.
- Copy MX, TXT, CNAME, SRV, CAA and other records before delegation.
- Create and test the complete new zone before changing nameservers.
- Remove conflicting parking or duplicate A records at the active DNS host.
- Configure the VPS web server for every hostname you publish.
- Allow for roughly an hour for many changes and up to 48 hours for complete global propagation, then verify nameservers, A/AAAA, MX and TXT records from more than one resolver.
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