How to Point a Domain at Your Linux VPS

A domain reaches a Linux VPS through an A record that points at the server’s IP address. That is different from shared cPanel hosting, where you change the domain to HSJ Host nameservers and the site is served from cPanel. On a VPS you are running the web server yourself, so DNS has to land on that machine.

Find the VPS IP address

Log in to the client portal and open the Linux VPS. The IP is on the instance details. The same address is in the email sent when the server was provisioned. You will use it as the target of the A record.

The city, Sydney or Melbourne, was chosen when you ordered. It does not change how DNS is written. Plans and locations are on Linux VPS hosting.

Add the A record

Where you edit DNS depends on who holds the domain.

• Domain registered at HSJ Host, and you want HSJ to keep DNS: open the domain in the client portal and add the records there.
• DNS hosted somewhere else: add the records at that provider. Leave the nameservers where they are.

Create these records, using your real IP in place of the example.

• @ or the root domain, type A, value the VPS IP.
• www, type A, value the same IP. Or a CNAME from www to the root, if you prefer.

Do not change the domain to the shared hosting nameservers unless the site should move onto cPanel. Those nameservers are listed in What Are HSJ Host’s Nameservers for cPanel Hosting? and they will not open a site that only exists on the VPS.

Wait, then test

DNS changes are often visible within a few hours and can take up to 48 hours. Check from your own computer:

dig +short yourdomain.com.au
dig +short www.yourdomain.com.au

Both should print the VPS IP. If they do, and the browser still shows a default page or a connection error, the VPS is receiving the visitor and the web server on the machine is the next place to look. SSH in with How to Connect to SSH on Your Linux VPS and confirm Nginx, Apache, or whatever you installed is listening.

Mail on the same domain

An A record for the website does not set up email. If mail stays on cPanel or on Microsoft 365, leave the MX records where they are and only point the website names at the VPS. If the VPS itself will send mail, set reverse DNS for that IP as well. The steps are in How to Set Reverse DNS on Your VPS.

A single brochure site that does not need root access is usually simpler on shared cPanel hosting, where the nameserver change does the whole job. Use the VPS A record when the application is actually running on that server.