How to Set Up DNS on GoDaddy for a VPS

GoDaddy is one of the biggest registrars, so plenty of people end up needing to point a GoDaddy domain at a VPS they bought elsewhere. GoDaddy's DNS panel is functional but cluttered with upsells; this guide keeps you on the two records that matter.

You'll need your VPS's public IPv4 address and your GoDaddy login.

Step 1: Open DNS Management

Sign in, go to My Products, find your domain and click the three-dot menu → Manage DNS (older accounts: DNS button). You'll land on the Records table.

Check that Nameservers near the bottom say the default GoDaddy nameservers (like ns01.domaincontrol.com). If they've been changed to a third party, your records live there instead, not at GoDaddy.

Step 2: Edit the existing A record

GoDaddy ships every domain with a default A record on host @ pointing at a parking IP. Rather than adding a duplicate, edit it:

• Type: A, Name: @, Value: 203.0.113.10 (your VPS IP), TTL: 1 Hour

In GoDaddy, @ is the root domain example.com. Save it.

Step 3: Add the www record

Add a second record for www. GoDaddy pre-creates a www CNAME pointing to @ on many domains, which is fine — it means www.example.com follows whatever @ resolves to. If it isn't there, add either:

• Type: CNAME, Name: www, Value: @, TTL: 1 Hour, or
• Type: A, Name: www, Value: your VPS IP

The CNAME approach is tidier because a future IP change only touches the @ record. See how to set up a CNAME record for the rules on where CNAMEs are allowed.

Step 4: Remove parking and forwarding

GoDaddy sometimes has Forwarding enabled that overrides your A record and bounces visitors to a GoDaddy page. Scroll to Forwarding and remove any domain forward. Otherwise your VPS never gets the traffic.

Step 5: Verify with dig

GoDaddy's default TTL is one hour, so allow up to an hour, then:

dig +short example.com A
dig +short www.example.com

The first should return your VPS IP. If www is a CNAME to @, dig shows the chain ending at your IP. Still seeing a GoDaddy IP (often 3.x or 15.x)? Forwarding is still on, or propagation isn't done. For query techniques, see diagnosing DNS problems with dig and nslookup.

Prefer to move DNS to Cloudflare?

GoDaddy's panel is slow to propagate and light on features. Many people point GoDaddy's nameservers at Cloudflare and manage records there instead — faster changes, free CDN and SSL. See how to move your domain's DNS to Cloudflare. The domain stays registered at GoDaddy; only DNS moves.

Add a subdomain on GoDaddy

To point app.example.com at your VPS, add a new record in the same Records table:

• Type: A, Name: app, Value: your VPS IP, TTL: 1 Hour

The Name field takes only the label (app), never the full app.example.com. For many subdomains at once, a single wildcard record — Name * — covers them all; the details are in how to set up a wildcard subdomain on a VPS.

Watch out for GoDaddy's upsells and defaults

GoDaddy's DNS panel is busier than most, and a few defaults quietly break VPS setups:

• Forwarding (Domain Settings → Forwarding) overrides your A record and sends visitors to a GoDaddy page. Remove it.
• Parked pages / "Websites + Marketing" can hijack the root. If you never built a GoDaddy site, ignore those prompts — the A record is what matters.
• Cash Parking / afternic listings occasionally add their own records. Delete anything you didn't create.
• AAAA records pointing at GoDaddy's IPv6 parking can shadow your A record on IPv6-capable clients. Remove or repoint them.

Adding email records on GoDaddy

If you'll run email on the domain, you'll add MX and TXT records here too. GoDaddy has a built-in shortcut: Add → and choose "Microsoft 365" or "Google Workspace" to auto-fill the MX/SPF records for those providers. For a custom or self-hosted mail server, add the MX manually and follow how to set up MX records for Google Workspace or how to set up business email on a custom domain. Remember: only one provider's MX set at a time.

When to leave GoDaddy DNS behind

GoDaddy's DNS is functional but slow to propagate and thin on features — no proxy, no page rules, clunky bulk editing. Plenty of people keep the domain *registered* at GoDaddy but move DNS management to Cloudflare for faster changes, a free CDN and free SSL. The registration stays put; only the nameservers change. The full, zero-downtime process is in how to move your domain's DNS to Cloudflare.

FAQ

What is @ in GoDaddy DNS?

@ represents your root (apex) domain — example.com with nothing in front. Subdomains use their own label, like blog for blog.example.com.

Why does my GoDaddy domain still show a parking page?

Either Forwarding is still enabled, or the default @ A record still points at GoDaddy. Fix both and re-check with dig.

How long does GoDaddy DNS take to update?

Usually under an hour with the default 1-hour TTL, though full global propagation can take up to 48 hours.

Can I use GoDaddy DNS with a VPS hosted elsewhere?

Absolutely. DNS and hosting are separate. Keep the domain at GoDaddy and point its A record at any VPS IP you like.

Can I keep GoDaddy email while hosting my site on a VPS?

Yes. Email and web hosting are controlled by completely separate DNS records, so your website can run on a VPS via the A record while GoDaddy (or Microsoft 365 through GoDaddy) handles email via the MX records. Point the @ and www A records at your VPS IP and leave the existing MX and email-related TXT records untouched. The two never conflict, because a browser looks up A records while a mail server looks up MX records. The one pitfall is accidentally deleting email records while editing the A record — a common mistake that silently breaks incoming mail. If you later move email too, update the MX records to the new provider and remove GoDaddy's.

With DNS pointed correctly, your GoDaddy domain will load straight from your server. Pair it with an NVMe VPS from Nxeon, and if you'd rather manage everything in one dashboard, consider Nxeon domains.