How to point a domain to a CloudPanel server
Update your domain's A record to point to your CloudPanel VPS. Covers registrar DNS, Cloudflare setup, propagation, and how to confirm the domain is resolving correctly.
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CloudPanel does not manage external DNS. You point your domain at the server by updating an A record at your domain registrar or DNS provider. This must be done before Let's Encrypt can issue an SSL certificate.
Find your server IP
Your CloudPanel VPS has a public IPv4 address. Find it in:
- Your VPS welcome email from UnderHost
- CustomerPanel → Services → My Services → click your VPS → service details (listed as IP Address)
- Inside CloudPanel itself: the IP is shown at the top of the panel or in server settings
Update your A record
Log in to wherever your domain's DNS is managed (your registrar, Cloudflare, or UnderHost DNS). Add or update these records:
| Type | Name | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | @ (root domain) | Your VPS IP address | 300–3600 |
| A | www | Your VPS IP address | 300–3600 |
Set TTL to a low value (300 seconds = 5 minutes) before making DNS changes-it speeds up propagation. You can raise it back to 3600 after everything is confirmed working.
If you use UnderHost nameservers (ns01.underhost.com / ns02.underhost.com) for this domain, update the A record in the UnderHost DNS management panel or open a support ticket to update it.
Using Cloudflare
If you use Cloudflare for DNS:
- Log in to Cloudflare and select your domain
- Go to DNS → Records
- Add or edit the A record for
@andwwwpointing to your VPS IP
Proxy mode (orange cloud) vs DNS only (grey cloud):
- Use DNS only (grey cloud) when first setting up SSL on CloudPanel-Let's Encrypt HTTP validation may fail through Cloudflare's proxy
- After SSL is issued and the site is working, you can switch to Proxied (orange cloud) for Cloudflare CDN and DDoS protection
- When Cloudflare is proxied, set Cloudflare's SSL/TLS mode to Full (strict) in Cloudflare dashboard → SSL/TLS → Overview
For a full Cloudflare setup guide, see Set up Cloudflare.
DNS propagation
After updating DNS, changes take time to propagate to resolvers worldwide. With a TTL of 300 seconds, most resolvers pick up the change within 5–30 minutes. Old TTL values take longer-if the previous TTL was 24 hours, it can take up to 24 hours for some users to see the new IP.
See DNS propagation explained for more detail.
Verify DNS is pointing correctly
Use the UnderHost DNS Check tool to look up the A record for your domain. Confirm it shows your VPS IP before attempting to issue an SSL certificate. You can also check from the command line:
dig yourdomain.com A +shortThe output should be your VPS IP address. If it shows a different IP or no result, DNS has not propagated yet or the record was not saved correctly.
Related: SSL certificates in CloudPanel-Let's Encrypt free SSL | How to create a website in CloudPanel | How to configure DNS for your domain | What is DNS propagation and how long does it take? | How to set up Cloudflare with UnderHost hosting
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