Knowledge base
Nameservers or an A record — which to use
Both work. One hands us the whole domain, the other hands us one name. Here is when each is right.
The difference is who is authoritative for the domain.
Nameservers
You are handing us the whole zone. Every record — the website, the mail, the verification records for other services — is then managed on our DNS screen.
Choose this when you want certificates, mail records and DNS to be set up for you, and when nobody else needs to add records.
An A record
You keep the zone wherever it is and add one record pointing a name at us.
Choose this when another team or another provider runs your DNS, when the domain has records you cannot move, or when only a subdomain should come here.
What changes for you either way
Nothing about the site. Both give you the same hosting, the same certificate and the same speed. The only real difference is where you go to change a record afterwards.
The mistake to avoid
Do not do both halfway. Changing the nameservers to us and also leaving an old A record at the previous provider does not blend the two — the nameservers win, and the old record is simply ignored. People then edit the ignored one for an hour and conclude DNS is broken.
⭐ If you are unsure, use nameservers. It is the option where more things are handled for you, and it can be undone in an hour.
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