Private nameservers let your hosting clients see your own brand, such as ns1.yourbrand.com, in their domain's nameserver records instead of your hosting provider's names. You register the names at the registry (glue records), then point your clients' domains at them. On Domain India, private nameservers are listed as a feature of the DirectAdmin reseller plans.
Private nameservers are child name servers. Every step of registering, changing and removing them is in Registering and managing child name servers. This page is the short version for resellers.
Ask support for the IP addresses to use for your reseller account. Then register ns1.yourbrand.com and ns2.yourbrand.com with those IPs: for a domain registered with Domain India, open it in the client area, go to the Nameservers tab and expand Custom nameservers (glue records). Finally, set your clients' domains to use the new names.
1. What private nameservers do for a reseller
Anyone can look up a domain's nameservers. With private nameservers, your clients' domains show ns1.yourbrand.com and ns2.yourbrand.com, so they see your brand rather than ours. They also make a later move easier: if you change provider, you repoint your two glue records instead of asking every client to change their nameservers.
2. Which plans include them
Domain India's reseller plans on DirectAdmin list private nameservers among their features. If you are on a different plan and want branded nameservers, open a ticket before you start, and we will tell you what your account supports.
If you have a single website on shared hosting, you don't need private nameservers. Use the nameservers shown on your hosting service page; see How do I change my nameservers.
3. Before you start
- A brand domain.The domain that will carry the names, such as
yourbrand.com, registered and active. Only the owner of a domain can create nameservers under it. - The IP addresses to use.Ask support which IP addresses to use for your reseller account. Where you have two separate IPs, use one for each name.
- Two names.
ns1andns2under the same brand domain are the usual pair.
4. Register the names (glue records)
If your brand domain is registered with Domain India:
- Sign into the client area and open Domains → My domains.
- Select your brand domainand open the Nameservers tab.
- Expand Custom nameservers (glue records)at the bottom and click Add. The hostname is pre-filled with
ns1.and your domain. - Enter the IP addressin the IP address (your VPS/server IP) field and click Add. Repeat for
ns2.yourbrand.com.
If you don't see that section, or the request is refused, open a support ticket with the hostnames and IP addresses and we will register them at the registry for you.
If your brand domain is registered elsewhere: use your registrar's section for child nameservers, glue records or "register nameservers", with the same names and IPs.
5. Point your clients' domains at them
Registering the names doesn't change any domain's nameservers by itself. For each client domain you want on your branded nameservers:
- Make sure the client's hosting account exists on your reseller account, so its DNS zone is on the server.
- Set the domain's nameservers to
ns1.yourbrand.comandns2.yourbrand.comat its registrar. For a domain in the Domain India client area, that is the Edit button on the Nameservers tab. - Allow up to 24-48 hours for the change to reach every network.
Your reseller control panel also has settings for the nameservers shown to new accounts. Menu names vary between DirectAdmin versions, so if you can't find them, ask support and we will point you to the right screen.
6. Check that it works
Test with a lookup rather than a browser:
dig A ns1.yourbrand.com +short # should return the IP you registered
dig NS clientdomain.com +short # should list ns1/ns2.yourbrand.com
dig A clientdomain.com @ns1.yourbrand.com +short # the server answers for the client's domainIf ns1.yourbrand.com doesn't resolve, check the glue record's IP address. If a client's site stops loading, check its nameservers and that its hosting account exists on your reseller account. A host that is still used by any domain can't be deleted at the registry, so move those domains first.
7. Where Domain India fits
Domain India's DirectAdmin reseller plans include white-label branding and private nameservers; compare them on the reseller hosting page. Support is available by 24/7 live chat and tickets, with a first response within 15 minutes; resolution can take longer. There is no phone support.
Frequently asked questions
What are private nameservers?
Nameservers named after your own domain, such as ns1.yourbrand.com and ns2.yourbrand.com. They are child name servers: the registry stores each name's IP address in a glue record, and your clients' domains point at them instead of at your hosting provider's names.
Which Domain India plans include private nameservers?
Domain India's DirectAdmin reseller plans list private nameservers among their features. If you are on another plan, open a support ticket and we will tell you what your account supports.
How do I register ns1 and ns2 for a domain registered with Domain India?
Sign in to the client area, open Domains → My domains, select the domain, open the Nameservers tab and expand Custom nameservers (glue records). Click Add, enter the hostname and IP address, and click Add again. If the section is not available, open a support ticket and we will register them for you.
How long do private nameservers take to work?
Allow up to 24-48 hours for new glue records and nameserver changes to reach every network. Check progress with dig or nslookup rather than a browser.
Ready to brand your hosting? Sign in to the client area to register your glue records, compare reseller hosting plans, or open a support ticket to get the IP addresses for your account.
Tell us your reseller account and the nameserver names you want, and we will send the IP addresses to use and help you register them.
Open a support ticket