Point a domain name to a VPS

2 min read07 November 2026

A domain name does not magically "point" at a server: it publishes DNS records that give one or more addresses. Until those records are correct, your web server can be perfectly configured and still unreachable by name. Order matters: DNS first, web server next, verify at every step.

Get the addresses

In the VPS panel, note the included IPv6 address and, if enabled, the IPv4 address. Check them on the machine:

Bash

ip -6 addr show scope global
ip -4 addr show scope global

A scope global address is public. A fe80:: address is link-local and must never appear in a DNS record.

Create the records

At your registrar or DNS provider, open the domain zone and add:

Type	Name	Value
`A`	`votre-domaine.fr`	`VOTRE_IPV4`
`AAAA`	`votre-domaine.fr`	`VOTRE_IPV6`
`A`	`www`	`VOTRE_IPV4`
`AAAA`	`www`	`VOTRE_IPV6`

Do not create a CNAME on the domain root: it conflicts with mandatory records. If you use a CDN proxy, the published addresses are the CDN's, not the VPS's; configure the origin in the CDN instead.

Choose the TTL

The TTL is how long resolvers keep the answer. During setup or migration, use a low value such as 300 seconds so you can fix mistakes quickly. Once stable, raise it to 3600 or more to reduce load and resolution latency. Lower the TTL at least an hour before changing an address.

Verify resolution

Bash

dig +short A votre-domaine.fr
dig +short AAAA votre-domaine.fr
dig +short A votre-domaine.fr @1.1.1.1

The first command queries your local resolver, the last a public one: both must return the same addresses. If they differ, a cache has not expired yet. dig +trace votre-domaine.fr shows delegation from the root and helps locate a badly delegated zone.

On the web server

DNS only gives the address. The server must then accept the name: in Nginx, server_name votre-domaine.fr www.votre-domaine.fr; inside the server block. Without it, the request arrives but gets the default page. Test with curl -I http://votre-domaine.fr/ then curl -6 -I http://votre-domaine.fr/. If both answer, the name, addresses and server agree.