How to Point a Domain to Your Server, Hosting or App

To point a domain to a SolumeCore service, open the service in the dashboard, find its domain settings and create the DNS records it shows at the company that manages your domain. What you create depends on the service: a web hosting uses nameservers or a few address records, a game server uses a CNAME record that carries the port, an app uses a CNAME plus a verification TXT, and a VPS uses a plain A record.

Before you start

• You need a domain you already own, bought at any registrar. SolumeCore does not sell domains.
• Have access to the place where its DNS is managed: your registrar or a DNS provider such as Cloudflare.
• Prefer a subdomain for a single service, for example play.yourbrand.com for a game server or app.yourbrand.com for an app. That way your main domain stays free for your website.
• If you use Cloudflare, set the records you create for SolumeCore to DNS only (grey cloud). With the orange cloud on, email, certificates and connections can fail.

Which one do I need?

The Domains page lists everything you connect and lets you check each one. See What the Domains page shows.

Connect a domain to a web hosting

1. Open Web hosting from the left menu, choose your hosting and go to Domain & DNS.
2. In Connection, click Connect my domain if you are still on the temporary address, or DNS guide if you already have a domain and only need the values.
3. Choose Use our nameservers (recommended) and replace the nameservers at your registrar with the two the wizard shows, or choose Keep your DNS where it is and create the listed records at your DNS provider.
4. Click Check again until the checks turn green.

The full walkthrough, with the records table and the zone file download, is in Point a domain to your web hosting.

Connect a domain to a game server

1. Open your game server and go to the Network & domain tab, Ports & domain section.
2. In the Your own domain card, click Connect my domain. A three-step wizard opens: Your domain, DNS records and Done.
3. Type the domain you want players to use, for example play.yourbrand.com, without http://.
4. Create the records the wizard shows at your DNS provider, copying each value with one click. The first one, on _minecraft._tcp, is the important one: it tells Minecraft Java which port to use, so players do not type it. The second one, on the name itself, is optional for Minecraft Java: it makes the name work alone for host:port connections. For Bedrock and other games, which do not read the first record, the one on the name itself is the required one and the wizard shows only that.
5. Click Check now, or just close the window: the dashboard keeps checking every few minutes and marks the domain as Active when it sees the records.

Always copy the exact values from the wizard: they are tied to your server's free name. This feature depends on your server: if the Your own domain card does not appear in your Network & domain tab, it is not enabled for that server. By default you can connect up to 3 domains to a server. Step by step: Use your own domain for a game server.

Connect a domain to an app or bot

1. Open your app and go to the Network & domain tab, Ports & domain section.
2. In Domains with HTTPS, click Connect domain. The wizard asks for the type (Free subdomain or My own domain), the address and the port your app listens on.
3. For your own domain, create the records shown in the DNS step: one that sends visitors to your app and a TXT record that proves the domain is yours. Without the TXT, nothing is published.
4. Wait for the state to go from Waiting for DNS to Issuing certificate to Active. The HTTPS certificate is issued and renewed for you.

Your app must listen on 0.0.0.0 (all addresses) and on the port you chose, not only on localhost. HTTPS for apps depends on the machine running your app; if the card says it does not have the HTTPS proxy yet, open a ticket. Details in Connect a domain to your app.

Connect a domain to a VPS or VDS

A VPS has no domain wizard in the dashboard: you are the one running the server, so the domain just needs to point to its IP address.

1. Open your VPS and copy its public IPv4 address.
2. At your DNS provider, create an A record. Use @ for the root domain or a name such as www or app for a subdomain, and paste the IP as the value.
3. Save and wait for propagation.

Then check it from your computer:

dig +short yourdomain.com A

Resolve-DnsName yourdomain.com -Type A

The domain only reaches the server. If you run a website on it, you install and renew the HTTPS certificate yourself on the VPS.

Let your DNS provider do it for you

For web hosting, game servers and apps, the dashboard shows a Set up automatically button when your DNS provider supports Domain Connect. You approve the records on the provider's page and the dashboard checks them when you come back. If the button does not appear, use the manual records above. More in Set up your domain automatically with Domain Connect.

Check that it works

Open Domains and click your domain to see its state and run the propagation check. A new domain can take from a few minutes to 24 hours to be visible everywhere. See How to check DNS propagation.

Troubleshooting

The domain stays on "Waiting for DNS"

The records are missing, have a typo or have not propagated. Compare each name and value with what the dashboard shows, and make sure there is not an older record with the same name.

HTTPS does not work

The certificate is issued only after the DNS points correctly. If you use Cloudflare, switch the record to DNS only and wait a few minutes.

Players still need the port

For Minecraft Java, the _minecraft._tcp record is missing or wrong. Bedrock and other games do not read it, so players type the domain and the port separately.

FAQ

Can I point a domain to a SolumeCore server without buying anything from SolumeCore?

You need a SolumeCore service to point the domain to, but you buy the domain itself at any registrar.

Can one domain serve my website and my game server?

Yes, with subdomains. Use the root domain and www for the website and a name such as play for the game server.

Should I use an A record or a CNAME?

Use exactly what the dashboard shows for your service. As a rule, A records point a name to an IP address, and CNAME records make a name an alias of another name. A CNAME cannot sit on the root of a domain.

Do I need to wait for propagation before using the domain?

The service works the moment the DNS answers correctly for you. Others may take longer, so keep the old address in use until the check shows it propagated.

Related articles

• What the Domains page shows and what it does not
• Point a domain to your web hosting
• Use your own domain for a game server
• Connect a domain to your app
• How to check DNS propagation

Need a place for your domain to point to? See the SolumeCore plans.