Guide6 min readUpdated 7 Sept 2026

Before DNS setup: check these five things

Find the account, domain details and existing services AlphaBlue needs before anyone changes your DNS.

Connecting a domain is usually a short task, but changing the wrong setting can interrupt a website, business email or another service. You do not need to become a DNS expert. You only need to collect the right information, follow the path confirmed by AlphaBlue and stop when your screen does not match the guide.

Need help at any point? Stop before saving another change. Take a screenshot that includes the page title and any error message, then contact AlphaBlue. Do not send us your password or one-time login code.

1. Find where you bought the domain

The company that bills you for registration and renewal is normally your domain registrar. Examples include GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace Domains, Hostinger, Porkbun, IONOS and THNIC.

Search your email for the domain name together with words such as registration, renewal, domain or invoice. Confirm that you can sign in to that account before scheduling the DNS change.

Buying a domain from one company does not always mean that company currently manages its DNS. The current nameservers decide where the active DNS records are managed.

2. Record the current nameservers

Open the domain details and find a section named Nameservers, Name servers, DNS servers or Domain Nameservers.

Take a screenshot showing all current values. Do not edit them yet.

If the values belong to a different company from the registrar, tell AlphaBlue. You may need access to both accounts.

3. Tell us whether you use domain email

Examples of domain email include:

  • [email protected];
  • Google Workspace using your domain;
  • Microsoft 365 using your domain;
  • email forwarding supplied by your registrar;
  • a mailbox provided with web hosting.

If you use any of these, tell AlphaBlue before the change. Website and email use different DNS records. A website can work while email is broken, so both must be checked separately.

4. List anything else connected to the domain

Tell us if the domain is used for:

  • an existing website or online shop;
  • booking, payment or form services;
  • Google, Meta, Microsoft or other ownership verification;
  • a separate subdomain such as shop.example.com or mail.example.com;
  • remote access, Voice over IP, calendars or another business system.

You do not need to identify each DNS record. A screenshot of the complete DNS record list is useful.

5. Confirm the website address you expect

Write down which address customers should use:

  • root domain: example.com;
  • www: www.example.com;
  • another subdomain: site.example.com.

This affects which connection method is possible. Cloudflare Workers and a Cloudflare Pages root domain require Cloudflare to manage authoritative DNS. If you keep DNS at the current provider, AlphaBlue can connect a Cloudflare Pages subdomain such as www.example.com, but not the root domain through this standard path.

Send AlphaBlue this preparation summary

Domain:
Registrar:
Can sign in: Yes / No
Current nameservers screenshot: Attached / Not available
Domain email in use: Yes / No / Not sure
Other connected services:
Preferred website address:

Do not change anything until AlphaBlue confirms which of the two supported setup paths you should use.

Official references

Technical requirements last verified: 7 September 2026. Provider interfaces can change; use the provider-specific guide supplied by AlphaBlue.