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Setting up DNS for your VPS

When connecting a domain name to your Tilaa VPS, you need to configure the Domain Name System (DNS). Basically, you have three options to achieve this.

Note: Tilaa does not provide managed DNS services (nameservers). You will need to use your domain registrar or host your own nameservers.

Option 1: Use your Registrar (Recommended)

The easiest and most reliable method is to leave the hosting of DNS with your domain registrar (the company where you bought the domain).

  • Log in to your registrar's dashboard.
  • Create A records pointing to your Tilaa server's IP address.
  • Create MX records pointing to your mail server IP (if applicable).

Pros: Fast setup, high reliability (redundant infrastructure of the registrar).
Cons: DNS management is separate from your server control panel.

Option 2: Hidden Master (Hybrid)

You can set up a nameserver on your Tilaa VPS but configure it as a "Hidden Master." This setup pushes DNS records to the nameservers of your registrar (slave servers).

This is popular for users with control panels (like cPanel or DirectAdmin). You can manage DNS locally on your server, while leveraging the redundant DNS infrastructure of your registrar for the outside world.

Please consult your registrar's documentation to see if they support "Secondary DNS" or "Slave DNS".

Option 3: Self-hosted Nameservers

You can run both nameservers directly on your Tilaa VPS. To do this properly, you generally need two distinct IP addresses.

Warning - Single Point of Failure:
Running both nameservers on the same VPS means that if your server goes down (e.g., for maintenance), your DNS goes down with it. This means your website and email will be unreachable.

If you choose this route:

  1. Request an extra IP address in the Network section of the Tilaa dashboard.
  2. Configure your DNS software (Bind, PowerDNS) to listen on both IPs.
  3. Register these IPs as "Glue Records" or nameservers at your registrar.

External Documentation

For more technical details on setting up nameservers within control panels, please refer to the official documentation: