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Nameservers & delegation

Overview​

If DNS is the "Internet’s Address Book," then Nameservers are the directions that tell the internet which book to look in. They "delegate" authority, informing browsers whether they should get their information from Dotsync or from another provider like Cloudflare or a private server.

1. The Dotsync Advantage (Default)​

When you register a domain through Clearbox, we handle the technical heavy lifting for you. By default, your domain is assigned to Dotsync-managed nameservers.

  • Integrated Management: You can manage all your records (A, CNAME, MX, etc.) directly within the Dotsync dashboard immediately after registration.
  • Performance & Security: Using our nameservers allows you to use the Automatic TLS/CDN toggles, ensuring your site is fast and encrypted without manual certificate management.
  • Redundancy: Our globally distributed nameserver network ensures your domain remains reachable even if one region experiences an outage.

2. Using Custom Nameservers​

If your organization requires a specific DNS provider (such as specialized enterprise security or advanced traffic steering), you can change your delegation at any time.

How to switch to a different provider:​

  1. Obtain New Nameservers: Your new provider (e.g., Cloudflare, Route53) will provide you with a list of nameservers (usually 2 to 4 addresses like ns1.provider.com).
  2. Update at the Registrar: Log in to your Dotsync dashboard, find your domain, and replace the default Dotsync entries with your new ones.
  3. Manage Externally: Once saved, Dotsync will no longer control your individual DNS records. You must re-create your A, MX, and TXT records at your new provider to keep your website and email active.

[!WARNING] Loss of Features: Switching to custom nameservers will disable Dotsync’s automatic TLS and CDN features. You will need to manage SSL certificates manually at your new provider.

3. Advanced: Glue Records​

If you want to host your nameservers on your own domain (e.g., using ns1.yourdomain.com to point to your own domain), you will encounter a "chicken and egg" problem: the internet can't find your server without the nameserver, but the nameserver is on the server.

  • The Fix: You must configure Glue Records (also called Host Records) at the registrar level. This provides the IP address of your nameserver directly to the registry so the loop can be broken.
  • Action: Contact support or use the "Host Management" section in your dashboard to register these IP addresses.

4. Migration & Propagation​

Changing nameservers is a significant update that ripples across the entire internet.

  • Verification: Before switching, ensure your new DNS provider has an exact copy of your MX records (for email) and TXT records (for domain verification). If these are missing during the switch, your email will bounce.
  • Propagation Timeline: While Dotsync updates your records instantly, it can take up to 48 hours for global internet service providers (ISPs) to clear their old "cache" and see the new delegation.
  • Testing: Use dig +trace yourdomain.com to watch the delegation chain and verify that your new nameservers are responding correctly.

Additional Resources​