Use your Aveshost domain with a website deployed on Cloudflare Pages. This guide explains how to connect your main domain or a subdomain, update the necessary DNS settings, and check that your website and email continue to work.
Your domain registration and renewals stay with Aveshost. Connecting the website does not transfer the domain or cancel an existing hosting package.
Before you begin
- An active domain registered with Aveshost and access to the Aveshost client area.
- A deployed Cloudflare Pages project that opens correctly at its production
your-project.pages.devaddress. - Access to the Cloudflare account that owns that project.
- A backup of your existing DNS records and nameservers, especially email records.
Replace domain.com and your-project.pages.dev throughout this guide with your own domain and the production hostname shown in your Pages project. Do not copy these example names unchanged.
1. Choose the correct connection method
| Address you want to use | Setup to follow |
|---|---|
domain.com — root/apex |
Method A: Add the domain to Cloudflare DNS in the same account as Pages and use Cloudflare nameservers. |
www.domain.com or app.domain.com |
Method B: Keep your current DNS provider and add a CNAME, or use your existing Cloudflare zone. |
The two methods below are alternatives. Follow the one that matches the address you selected.
Add the hostname in Pages first: DNS alone is not enough. In Cloudflare, open Workers & Pages → your Pages project → Custom domains → Set up a domain. Enter the hostname and choose Continue. Follow the DNS instructions displayed for that hostname.
Method A: Connect your root domain using Cloudflare nameservers
A1. Prepare the domain in Cloudflare
- In the Cloudflare account containing your Pages project, open Domains and select Onboard a domain (sometimes labelled Add a domain).
- Enter the root domain, such as
domain.com, and follow the onboarding prompts to select the appropriate plan and add DNS records. - Compare Cloudflare's imported records with your backup. Its scan may miss records; add anything required for existing services.
- Copy the two nameservers assigned to your domain. Use the exact pair shown in your account, not nameservers from an example or another domain.
A2. Preserve your email and other services
Before switching nameservers, check the following records in Cloudflare:
- MX: the correct mail destination and priority.
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC: the existing TXT records and any DKIM CNAMEs your email provider uses.
- Mail-server hostnames: preserve required A, AAAA or CNAME records. Hostnames used for SMTP, IMAP or POP should be DNS only, rather than proxied through Cloudflare's web proxy.
- Other services: preserve subdomains, verification records and any settings needed by an existing website you are keeping.
For AmailPlus, compare against the records in your service's Domain & DNS Setup panel. See how to link your domain to AmailPlus. Use your mailbox service's actual values, including its domain-specific DKIM key.
A3. Update nameservers at Aveshost
- Log in to the Aveshost client area.
- Open Domains → My Domains, locate the domain and choose Manage.
- Open Nameservers and select Use Custom Nameservers.
- Replace the old entries with Cloudflare's assigned pair. Leave additional fields empty unless Cloudflare explicitly supplies more.
- Click Change Nameservers or Save Changes.
Use the domain's Nameservers screen, not an ordinary NS record inside a DNS zone. Keep your backup so support can review the previous configuration if needed.
DNSSEC: If enabled at your current provider, follow Cloudflare's migration procedure before switching. The standard flow removes the old DNSSEC/DS configuration at the registrar before changing nameservers, then enables DNSSEC with the new Cloudflare DS information after activation. Ask support for help if you are unsure; a stale DS record can stop the domain resolving. Cloudflare's nameserver and DNSSEC instructions.
A4. Finish the Pages connection
Allow Cloudflare to detect the nameserver change and show the zone as active. Complete the root hostname's setup in Custom domains for your Pages project and confirm the offered DNS change. Cloudflare can create the Pages CNAME in its zone for you.
From this point, manage the domain's DNS records in Cloudflare. Changes in the old Aveshost or hosting-panel zone will not control public DNS while Cloudflare nameservers are authoritative.
Method B: Connect www or another subdomain without changing nameservers
Choose this method if you want to preserve the existing DNS setup. For example, use app.domain.com for Pages while keeping your main website and email where they are.
B1. Identify the active DNS provider
In Aveshost, open Domains → My Domains → Manage → Nameservers. The nameservers identify the provider where you must edit DNS. A domain may be registered with Aveshost while using a separate DNS service.
- Aveshost domain DNS: open DNS Management on the domain management page, if this is the active DNS service.
- DirectAdmin hosting DNS: open Account Manager → DNS Management for the correct domain.
- cPanel hosting DNS: open Domains → Zone Editor → Manage.
- Another provider: edit the zone there. An inactive copy of the zone will not affect the live domain.
B2. Add the CNAME
After associating your hostname with the Pages project, add this record at the active DNS provider:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | CNAME |
| Host / Name | www for www.domain.com, or app for app.domain.com |
| Target / Address | Your project's production your-project.pages.dev hostname |
| TTL | Provider default, unless instructed otherwise |
The target is a hostname: do not include https://, a slash or a page path. Some panels use the full hostname instead of a short label. Check the saved result to avoid a duplicated suffix such as app.domain.com.domain.com. In panels that require fully qualified CNAME destinations, use the trailing period requested by that panel.
Review any existing A, AAAA or CNAME at the same name before replacing it. Only change the hostname you are moving; do not remove unrelated records. If a conflict is unclear, contact support.
If Cloudflare already manages your DNS, complete its offered record confirmation instead of creating a duplicate. Cloudflare's Pages domain reference.
2. Check the connection and HTTPS
- Return to the Pages project's custom-domain status and follow any remaining validation instructions.
- Allow DNS caches to refresh. Timing depends on the previous TTL and nameserver caches; it is not the same for every network.
- Open
https://followed by the exact hostname you connected. - Test the homepage, key routes, images and forms from a private browser window or another device.
- If you changed nameservers, test your email as well as every service whose records you copied.
Do not bypass a browser certificate warning. Check the domain status and DNS configuration, and let support investigate if HTTPS remains unavailable. See our DNS propagation guide.
3. Decide what should happen to root and www
domain.com and www.domain.com are separate addresses. Test both if visitors might use both. Configure an additional hostname or a supported redirect as appropriate; a DNS CNAME itself does not perform an HTTP redirect.
If only app.domain.com is moving, leave the root and www records pointing to your existing website.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| The old website still appears | Confirm you edited the authoritative DNS zone and are visiting the same hostname you configured. Review stale A/AAAA/CNAME records and cached DNS. |
| 522 after adding a CNAME | Check that the hostname was also added to the Pages project's Custom domains list. A DNS-only change without the Pages association is incomplete. |
| Cloudflare still shows pending nameservers | Compare Aveshost's saved nameservers with the exact assigned pair. Remove old nameserver entries and allow the delegation change to propagate. |
| The entire domain stops resolving | Ask support to check the delegation and DNSSEC DS records, particularly after a nameserver migration. |
| Verification or HTTPS remains pending | Cloudflare Access, redirects, Workers or security rules may block validation. Restrictive CAA records may also prevent certificate issuance. Have support review these conditions rather than disabling protections broadly. |
| pages.dev works, but the custom domain behaves differently | Review matching redirect, security and cache rules for the custom hostname. Cached content can differ from the latest deployment. |
| Neither address displays the website correctly | Check the Pages deployment and build logs. For static sites, confirm the correct output folder and homepage file were deployed; DNS cannot repair a failed build. |
| Email stops working after the move | Compare Cloudflare's MX and mail authentication records with the original zone. Also check mail hostnames and their proxy status. |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to transfer my domain to Cloudflare?
No. Continue managing registration and renewals through Aveshost. DNS and website hosting can be managed separately.
Will changing nameservers delete my Aveshost hosting account?
No. It changes which DNS zone controls your domain. It does not cancel hosting, email or any other subscription.
Can I keep Aveshost or AmailPlus email?
Yes. Preserve the email provider's complete DNS configuration in the active zone and verify sending and receiving after the change.
Can I point an A record to the pages.dev address?
No. An A record requires an IPv4 address, not a hostname. Do not copy a temporary IP obtained from a DNS lookup as a substitute for the supported configuration.
Can Aveshost help configure this?
Submit a support ticket with your domain, intended hostname, Pages production address and the instructions shown in Cloudflare. Tell us whether existing website or email services need to remain active. Never send passwords or sign-in codes.
