How to Point Your Domain to a VPS IP Address

After provisioning an Aveshost Virtual Private Server (VPS), the next crucial step is connecting your custom domain name (e.g. domain.com) or a subdomain (e.g. app.domain.com, api.domain.com) to your server. This is accomplished by configuring your Domain Name System (DNS) records – specifically the A (Address) Record – to route incoming web traffic directly to your VPS IP address.

Depending on where your domain is registered and how your hosting is structured, this comprehensive step-by-step guide will walk you through:

• Step 1: How to find your VPS public IP address in your Aveshost account.
• Scenario 1: Pointing a domain registered on Aveshost using Aveshost DNS Management.
• Scenario 2: Pointing a domain registered with an external registrar or managed by Cloudflare.
• Scenario 3: Pointing a subdomain to your VPS while keeping your primary domain on an Aveshost shared hosting plan.
• Step 4: How to test and verify DNS propagation.

Step 1: How to Find Your VPS IP Address

Before modifying DNS records, locate your server’s dedicated public IP address:

Method A: Via Aveshost Client Area Dashboard

1. Log in to your Aveshost Client Area (my.aveshost.com).
2. Click on Services in the top navigation bar.
3. Locate your VPS service and click Manage.
4. On the VPS Details / Management page, locate the Primary IP Address (e.g. 107.178.111.179).

Method B: Via Your Welcome Email

When your VPS was provisioned, Aveshost sent a VPS Activation & Login Details email containing your dedicated public IP address, root login credentials, and SSH port details.

Scenario 1: Pointing a Domain Registered with Aveshost

If your domain was registered or transferred to Aveshost, use our built-in DNS Management interface:

Step 1: Verify Your Nameservers

1. In the Aveshost Client Area, go to Domains > My Domains.
2. Click Manage next to the domain you want to configure.
3. In the left sidebar, click Nameservers.
4. Ensure your domain is pointing to Aveshost’s official DNS nameservers:

   ns1.globaldomaingroup.com
   ns2.globaldomaingroup.com

   (If your domain is currently using other nameservers, select Use custom nameservers, enter the two nameservers above, and click Change Nameservers).

Step 2: Add Your DNS Records in DNS Management

1. In the left sidebar under Domain Management, click DNS Management.
2. Click Add New Record and configure your desired records:

3. Click Save Changes.

Scenario 2: Pointing a Domain Registered with an External Registrar or Cloudflare

If your domain was purchased through a third-party registrar (e.g. Namecheap, GoDaddy) or if your DNS is managed by Cloudflare:

1. Log in to your external registrar or Cloudflare dashboard.
2. Navigate to the DNS Records / DNS Management / Zone Editor section for your domain.
3. For the Main Domain:
   • Add an A Record with Name: @ (or domain.com) → Value / Points to: YOUR_VPS_IP.
   • Add a CNAME Record with Name: www → Target: domain.com (or an A record pointing to YOUR_VPS_IP).
4. For a Subdomain (e.g. api.domain.com):
   • Add an A Record with Name: api (or app) → Value / Points to: YOUR_VPS_IP.
5. Note for Cloudflare users: When setting up SSL certificates directly on your VPS with Certbot, set the Proxy Status to DNS Only (Grey Cloud) during initial issuance, or configure Cloudflare SSL to Full (Strict).
6. Save your records.

Scenario 3: Pointing a Subdomain to a VPS (When Primary Domain is on Aveshost Shared Hosting)

Use this method if your primary website (domain.com) is hosted on an Aveshost shared web hosting plan (DirectAdmin/cPanel), but you want a specific subdomain (such as app.domain.com or api.domain.com) to point to your independent Linux VPS:

1. Log in to your Aveshost Client Area > go to Services > select your Web Hosting plan > log in to your DirectAdmin Control Panel.
2. Under Account Manager, click on DNS Management.
3. Click Add Record (or locate the Add Record section at the bottom):
   • Record Type: Select A
   • Name / Host: Enter your subdomain prefix (e.g. app or api)
   • Value / IP: Enter your VPS Public IP Address (e.g. 107.178.111.179)
   • TTL: Leave as default (e.g. 3600 or 14400)
4. Click Add to save the new record.

Step 4: Verify DNS Propagation

DNS changes typically take 5 to 30 minutes to propagate worldwide (and up to 24–48 hours in rare cases).

1. Verify using Command Line / Terminal:

# Ping your domain to see if it resolves to your VPS IP:
ping domain.com
ping app.domain.com

# OR check with nslookup:
nslookup domain.com

2. Verify using Online Global DNS Checkers:

You can check global propagation in real-time by entering your domain into online tools like DNSChecker.org or whatsmydns.net and confirming that the A record returns your VPS IP address globally.

Next Steps After Pointing Your Domain

Once your domain points to your VPS IP address, you can configure your server stack and secure your traffic:

• Set Up Web Server: Install and configure virtual hosts (see How to Set Up Nginx on Linux VPS).
• Install Free SSL: Encrypt your web traffic with HTTPS (see How to Install Let's Encrypt SSL on Linux VPS).
• Configure Hostname: Ensure your server identification matches your domain (see How to Set a Hostname on Linux VPS).

Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting

Q: Why does my browser still show the old hosting page after updating the A record?
A: Local DNS cache on your computer or router may take a few minutes to refresh. Flush your local DNS cache by running ipconfig /flushdns on Windows or sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on macOS, or test in an Incognito/Private browsing window.

Q: Can I point multiple subdomains to the same VPS?
A: Yes! You can add multiple A records (e.g. app, api, blog, admin) pointing to the same VPS IP address. Nginx or Apache server blocks on your VPS will route each request to its respective application folder.

Need Further Assistance?

If you need assistance configuring DNS records, verifying nameservers, or routing subdomains to your Aveshost VPS, our technical support team is available 24/7. Feel free to submit a support ticket through your client area for expert assistance.