How to point a domain to an aaPanel server
Update your domain A records to point to your UnderHost aaPanel VPS IP. Covers CustomerPanel details, registrar DNS, Cloudflare, propagation, SSL readiness,
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aaPanel does not manage your external domain DNS. You point your domain to the server by adding an A record at your registrar or DNS provider. This step is required before Let's Encrypt can issue an SSL certificate for your site and before traffic reaches the UnderHost VPS running aaPanel.
Find your server IP
Your VPS has a public IPv4 address. Find it in:
- Your VPS welcome email from UnderHost
- CustomerPanel → Services → My Services → your VPS → service details
- Inside aaPanel: the server IP is shown at the top of the dashboard
Update the A record
Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider and add or update these records:
| Type | Name | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | @ (root domain) | Your VPS IP address | 300 |
| A | www | Your VPS IP address | 300 |
Set TTL to 300 (5 minutes) before making changes to speed up propagation. Once the site is working, you can raise TTL to 3600 (1 hour) or higher.
If your domain is registered through UnderHost and uses UnderHost nameservers, manage DNS from CustomerPanel where available or open a support ticket with the domain, record name, record type, and target IP.
Using Cloudflare
If you use Cloudflare for DNS:
- Log in to Cloudflare → select your domain → DNS → Records
- Add or edit the A record for
@andwwwto point to your VPS IP
Proxy mode guidance:
- Use DNS only (grey cloud) when first setting up the site and issuing SSL-Let's Encrypt HTTP validation may fail through Cloudflare's proxy
- After SSL is issued and the site is confirmed working, switch to Proxied (orange cloud) for CDN and DDoS protection
- When proxied, set Cloudflare SSL/TLS to Full (strict) in Cloudflare → SSL/TLS → Overview
For full Cloudflare setup instructions, see Set up Cloudflare.
DNS propagation
After adding or changing a DNS record, global propagation takes between a few minutes and 48 hours depending on the previous TTL and your DNS provider's speed. With TTL set to 300 seconds, most resolvers update within 5–15 minutes.
See DNS propagation explained for more detail.
Verify DNS is pointing correctly
Use the UnderHost IP and DNS tools to query your domain's A record. Confirm it returns your VPS IP before attempting to issue an SSL certificate.
From the command line:
dig yourdomain.com A +shortThe output should be your VPS IP address. If it still shows an old IP, DNS has not propagated yet-wait and retry.
Related: aaPanel SSL | Create website in aaPanel | Configure DNS | DNS propagation | Cloudflare setup
Need aaPanel hosting?
Install aaPanel on an UnderHost VPS or dedicated server when you want a simple web interface for sites, databases, SSL, and apps.
