Point your domain to your VPSA record, IPv6, reverse DNS and web server configuration

Published on October 20, 2026

Two levels that have to match

For a domain to land on your VPS, two things must be right - and they are in completely different places:

• In DNS, the domain must point to the VPS's IP address. You do that in domain management.
• On the VPS, the web server must know that it is responsible for this domain. You do that via SSH or in the admin panel.

If the first part is missing, nobody arrives. If the second is missing, all visitors land on the server's default page.

Step 1: set the A and AAAA records

You will find your VPS's IP addresses in the web interface. Enter them in DNS management:

@     A      85.214.12.7
www   A      85.214.12.7
@     AAAA   2a01:4f8:1c17::1
www   AAAA   2a01:4f8:1c17::1

The AAAA records are only needed if your VPS has an IPv6 address - with us, that is available on request. Instead of an A record for www, you can also set a CNAME to the main domain - then you maintain the IP in only one place. On @ itself, however, there is always an A record, never a CNAME.

Step 2: configure the web server for the domain

The web server on your VPS decides, based on the requested host name, which directory it delivers. This mapping is called a vHost (Apache) or server block (nginx).

A minimal nginx block looks like this:

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name yourcompany.com www.yourcompany.com;
    root /var/www/yourcompany;
    index index.php index.html;
}

After creating it, check the configuration and reload the service - with nginx using nginx -t and systemctl reload nginx, with Apache using apachectl configtest and systemctl reload apache2. If you use a panel such as Plesk, create the domain there instead; the panel writes the configuration itself. The full setup is described in Set up a web server on your VPS.

Step 3: issue an SSL certificate

Only now - and really not earlier - can you issue a free certificate from Let's Encrypt. The check works like this: the certificate authority calls your domain and expects a stored file there. If the DNS record still points elsewhere, this fails.

So the order is: set the DNS record, wait for the TTL, create the vHost, then request the certificate. After that, set up the redirect from HTTP to HTTPS.

Reverse DNS: only relevant if you send mail

A PTR record answers the reverse question: which name belongs to this IP address? Large mail providers check this - if the PTR does not match the host name of the sending server, mails quickly land in spam or are rejected altogether.

The PTR is not maintained in your domain zone, but by the operator of the IP address - so with us, via the web interface or the ticket system. Set it to the same name your mail server reports as its host name, for example mail.yourcompany.com. In addition, you need SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Several domains on one VPS

A VPS can serve any number of domains - the limit is only performance, not the number. The same pattern applies to every domain:

1. Set an A record to the same server IP.
2. Create a separate vHost with its own root directory.
3. Issue a separate certificate.

The same works with subdomains - for example staging.yourcompany.com for a test environment next to the live site.

Troubleshooting

• The server's default page appears: the DNS record is correct, but the vHost is missing or the server_name does not match the requested domain.
• Timeout: usually the firewall. Check whether ports 80 and 443 are open.
• Certificate cannot be issued: the domain does not point to the server yet or port 80 is closed - the check runs via HTTP.
• Only www works: the A record for @ is missing or wrongly set as a CNAME.
• Nothing changes: before the TTL expires, resolvers still deliver the old value. Check with nslookup yourcompany.com.

If you have just ordered the server, First steps on your VPS covers the basic setup before you add domains.

Frequently asked questions