Can I Use Vanity Nameservers?

Vanity Nameservers are a way to create Nameservers based on your domain name, but still use the IP addresses of our Nameservers. Please note, while vanity Nameservers are similar to custom nameservers, they are differentiated by the fact that vanity nameservers still use the IP addresses of our Nameservers. True custom nameservers require a VPS or dedicated server with it's own IP address. As we do not offer VPS or dedicated plans, custom nameservers are not available with a Web Hosting Hub account.

Do I Need to User Vanity Nameservers?

Customers whose registrar uses verification methods that differ from ICANN's standard Nameserver verification process will need to use either vanity Nameservers or a third party DNS service. A good example is AFNIC, who manages the country code top level domains .fr, .pm, .re, .tf, .wf, and .yt.

Vanity Nameservers are also a good way to customize the WHOIS information for your domain. When you use vanity Namesersvers and someone performs a WHOIS lookup on your domain, they will see ns1.yourdomain.com and ns2.yourdomain.com as your domain's Nameservers.

There are two parts to setting up vanity Nameservers:

1. Creating A Records for the Nameservers in cPanel
2. Registering the vanity Nameservers with the domain registrar

Creating A Records for Vanity Nameservers in cPanel

1. Begin by logging into your cPanel account
2. Under the Domains section, click on the Simple DNS Zone Editor icon. 
3. If you have more than one domain, select the domain you want to set up the vanity Nameservers for. 
4. In the Add an A Record area, enter in each vanity Nameserver with the IP address of each of the Web Hosting Hub Nameservers and click the Add a Record button. Using the following example, please replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name but the IP addresses will be the same:
   
   Name: ns1.yourdomain.com
   Address: 205.134.224.133
   
   Name: ns2.yourdomain.com
   Address: 173.205.127.4
   
   

Registering Your Vanity Nameservers With Your Domain Registrar

The steps to complete this part of the process will depend on whether your domain is registered through Web Hosting Hub or a different registrar.

Domain Registered Through Web Hosting Hub

1. Begin by logging into your AMP Account.
2. In the menu on the top of the page, hover over the Domains link under and click on Manage Domains
3. In the middle of the page, under Select a Domain to Manage, click on your domain name.
4. Next, click the Create custom Nameservers link. (Please note, although the link says Custom Nameservers, this will still work for registering our Vanity Nameservers.
5. For each Vanity Nameserver, fill in the Host Name and IP, just like we did back in the cPanel Simple DNS Zone Editor in the first part of this process. Once again, please be sure to replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name but keep the IP addresses as shown below:
   
   Host Name: ns1.yourdomain.com
   IP Address: 205.134.224.133
   
   Host Name: ns2.yourdomain.com
   IP Address: 173.205.127.4
6. Click the Submit button to register your Vanity Nameservers.

Domain Registered Elsewhere

Log into your registrar's interface and register the Vanity Nameservers with your registrar. If you have any trouble registering the Vanity Nameservers through their interface, your domain registrar should be able to assist you with their specific system.

Whether your domain is registered through us or with another registrar, please allow 4-24 hours for DNS to propagate fully.

Once DNS has propagated, you can then log into your registrar's interface and point your domain to your new vanity Nameservers.