Once you own a domain, three terms keep coming up: registrar, DNS and nameservers. They do different jobs. This guide explains what nameservers are and what changes when you let C Building manage your domain's DNS.
What are nameservers?
Every domain has a set of DNS records. They tell browsers which server hosts the website and tell sending mail servers where to deliver email. Nameservers are the servers that store these records and answer for them.
A domain's registration lists a few nameservers. When someone looks up your domain, the internet finds those nameservers first and reads the records from them. Whichever provider your nameservers point to is the one managing your DNS.
Registrar, DNS provider and nameservers: what's the difference?
| Term | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Registrar | Registers the domain, charges the renewal, and is where you change the nameservers | GoDaddy, HiNet, PChome, Net-Chinese |
| DNS provider | Stores the domain's DNS records, such as A, CNAME, MX and TXT | The registrar's own DNS, Cloudflare, C Building |
| Nameservers | Listed in the registration; say which DNS provider answers | ns1.cbuilding.net |
Your registrar and DNS provider can be different companies. Changing the nameservers only changes the DNS provider. The domain stays registered where it is, and you keep renewing it there.
C Building's nameservers
C Building uses these four nameservers:
- ns1.cbuilding.net
- ns2.cbuilding.net
- ns3.cbuilding.net
- ns4.cbuilding.net
The DNS service behind them is AWS Route 53; the domain's manage page shows "C Building (Route 53)". Enter all four if you can. If your registrar only takes two, the first two are enough.
Why let C Building manage your DNS?
- One place for your records: website, email and other DNS records can be changed right in C Building, without signing in to your registrar.
- The AI can set records for you: when you need to add or change a record, you can ask C Building's AI to do it.
- Your website connects automatically: C Building sets up the records your website needs. Once the nameservers change, your website connects to your domain with nothing to copy and paste.
- Your current records come along: before you start, you can detect them automatically, import them from Cloudflare or paste a zone file, then confirm each one.
What to know before you switch
- Once the nameservers change, the records at your current DNS provider stop working. So bring the records you need over first, then change the nameservers.
- If DNSSEC is on at your registrar, turn it off first (remove the DS record) and wait for it to take effect. Otherwise the domain stops resolving. See Before changing nameservers: email and DNSSEC.
- After you press Start hosting in C Building, change the nameservers at your registrar within 3 days. Otherwise the setup and the records you brought over are removed.
- Until the nameservers point to C Building, records can be viewed but not changed.
- If the nameservers later point elsewhere, record changes are paused. After 14 days without changing them back, hosting ends automatically.
Some registrars don't let you change the nameservers. Cloudflare states that all domains on Cloudflare Registrar use Cloudflare nameservers (Cloudflare FAQ). Shopify says a Shopify-managed domain needs to use the default Shopify nameservers (Shopify Help). For these domains, see Cloudflare one-click setup and DNS for Shopify and Netlify domains.
You don't have to change nameservers
Letting C Building manage your DNS is optional. You can leave DNS where it is and add the records C Building lists at your DNS provider. If your DNS is on Cloudflare, "Set up with Cloudflare" adds them for you. Domains bought through C Building skip this step; their records are set up automatically.
Ready to switch? Follow Let C Building manage your domain's DNS step by step.