If your domain is registered with Amazon Route 53 and your website is on Domain India hosting, you connect the two in Route 53, not at Domain India. You can either change the domain's name servers to the ones for your hosting account, or keep Route 53 as your DNS and point A records at your hosting server. This guide shows both, and where to find the right values.
Find your hosting's nameservers and server IP on your hosting service page in the Domain India client area. To hand all DNS to your hosting, open Route 53 › Registered domains, select the domain, choose Edit name servers, enter the nameservers from your service page and save. To keep Route 53 DNS (for example because your email records are there), edit the domain's hosted zone instead and point the @ and www A records at your server IP. Changes usually show within a few hours and can take up to 24-48 hours.
This page covers Route 53 only. For how nameservers work, where to find the correct values and how to check the result, see How do I change my nameservers.
1. Choose: change name servers, or only records?
Route 53 has two separate parts that are easy to mix up:
- Registered domains is the registrar side. The name servers set here decide which DNS provider answers for the domain.
- Hosted zones is the DNS side. Records you add in a hosted zone only work while the domain's name servers point to that hosted zone.
| You want | Change | Where in Route 53 |
|---|---|---|
| Your website and email both on Domain India hosting | Name servers | Registered domains › your domain › Edit name servers |
| Website on Domain India, email or other services staying where they are | A records for @ and www | Hosted zones › your domain › records |
| Only to verify something or add one service | A single record | Hosted zones › your domain › records |
Once the name servers point to your hosting, the records in your Route 53 hosted zone stop being used, including MX records for email. If your email is on Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or another provider, either recreate those records in your hosting control panel first, or use the records-only option in section 4.
2. Find the values for your hosting account
- Sign into the Domain India client area.
- Open your hosting.Go to your hosting services and select the service for this domain.
- Find the "Point a domain to this hosting" card.Option 1 lists the nameservers for your account. Option 2 shows the server IP address for A records.
The same nameservers are in your hosting welcome email, "Your Hosting Account is Ready". Nameservers differ from server to server, so use only the values shown for your own account, never ones copied from an article, forum or another account. If you are unsure, open a support ticket before you change anything.
3. Option 1: change the name servers in Route 53
- Open the Route 53 console.Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open Route 53.
- Go to Registered domains.In the left menu, under Domains, choose Registered domains, then select your domain.
- Edit the name servers.Choose Actions › Edit name servers (Amazon updates the console from time to time, so the button may sit in a slightly different place).
- Replace the entries.Remove the existing Route 53 name servers and enter the nameservers from your Domain India service page, one per field. Type the hostnames exactly, with no
http://, spaces or trailing dot. - Save.Choose Save changes. Route 53 submits the change to the registry and shows its progress; AWS may also email you about it.
If DNSSEC signing is switched on for the domain in Route 53, turn it off and remove the DS record before you change name servers. Otherwise resolvers that check DNSSEC will fail to reach your site once the new name servers take over.
4. Option 2: keep Route 53 DNS and add A records
Use this when your email or other services should stay exactly as they are.
- Open Hosted zonesin the Route 53 console and select your domain's zone.
- Edit the root record.Find the A record for the domain itself (the record name is empty). Edit it, or create it if it is missing, and set the value to the server IP from your service page.
- Edit the www record.Do the same for
www. Ifwwwis a CNAME pointing to the root domain, you can leave it. - Save the records.Leave MX and TXT records alone so email keeps working.
Check that the domain's name servers under Registered domains still point to this hosted zone; records in a zone that nobody queries have no effect. Remove any old A or AAAA records for the same names that point elsewhere, or visitors may reach the wrong server.
5. Wait, then check
A name server change usually shows within a few hours and can take up to 24-48 hours to reach every network, because resolvers cache the old answer. A record change follows the TTL set on the old record. Keep your old hosting running until the change has spread.
Check with a DNS lookup rather than a browser:
dig NS yourdomain.com +short # which name servers answer
dig A yourdomain.com +short # the website address
dig MX yourdomain.com +short # where email is deliveredOn Windows, use nslookup -type=ns yourdomain.com. When the answer shows your hosting's nameservers (Option 1) or your server IP (Option 2), the change has reached that resolver. For more, see Understanding DNS propagation.
6. After the domain points to your hosting
- SSL: the free certificate is issued once the domain reaches your hosting. See How to enable free SSL with Let's Encrypt.
- Email: if you moved the name servers and use Domain India email, the MX records are in your control panel. Test sending and receiving.
- Route 53 charges: a hosted zone you no longer use may still be billed by AWS. Delete it only after the new setup has worked for a few days.
If you would rather manage the domain and hosting in one place, you can move it with Can I transfer an existing domain to Domain India.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the nameservers for my Domain India hosting?
On your hosting service page in the Domain India client area, in the "Point a domain to this hosting" card under Option 1. They are also in your hosting welcome email. Use only the values shown for your own account.
Where do I change name servers in Amazon Route 53?
In the Route 53 console, open Registered domains, select the domain and choose Edit name servers. Replace the Route 53 name servers with your hosting's nameservers and save.
Can I keep my DNS in Route 53 and still use Domain India hosting?
Yes. In the domain's Route 53 hosted zone, point the A records for the root domain and www to the server IP shown on your hosting service page. Your email and other records stay unchanged.
Will changing name servers affect my email?
Yes. After the change, your Route 53 hosted zone is no longer used, including its MX records. Recreate your email records at the new DNS provider first, or change only the A records instead.
How long does a name server change take?
It usually shows within a few hours and can take up to 24-48 hours to reach every network, because DNS resolvers cache the old answer.
Do I need to turn off DNSSEC before changing name servers?
If DNSSEC signing is on for the domain in Route 53, turn it off and remove the DS record first. Otherwise resolvers that validate DNSSEC may fail to reach the domain after the switch.
Ready to connect your domain? Open your hosting services to find your nameservers and IP, read the full nameserver guide, or open a support ticket if you are not sure which values to use.
Tell us the domain and your hosting service, and support will confirm the nameservers or IP address for your account.
Open a support ticket