After you purchase a hosting plan, you need to connect your domain name to your HOSTDOG account so visitors can reach your website. This guide walks you through the process, whether your domain is registered with HOSTDOG or with another registrar.
Prerequisites
- An active HOSTDOG hosting account
- A registered domain name (either with HOSTDOG or another registrar)
- Access to your domain registrar's control panel (where you manage DNS settings)
Is your domain registered with HOSTDOG?
If you registered your domain directly through HOSTDOG and purchased hosting at the same time, your domain may already be pointed to our servers automatically. You can verify this by checking if your website loads when you type your domain into a browser.
If your domain was registered elsewhere — or if it's pointed at a different host — follow the steps below.
You'll need to update your domain's nameservers to:
| Nameserver | Address |
|---|---|
| Primary | ns1.hostdog.gr |
| Secondary | ns2.hostdog.gr |
For a full reference, see What are HOSTDOG's nameservers?
Go to the website where you registered your domain name and log in to your account. This might be HOSTDOG, or it could be any other registrar (Papaki, Pointer, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).
Navigate to the DNS or nameserver management section. The exact location varies by registrar, but common paths include:
- HOSTDOG: Client area → Domains → select your domain → Nameservers
- Papaki: Domain Management → DNS → Nameservers
- Namecheap: Domain List → Manage → Nameservers → Custom DNS
- GoDaddy: My Products → Domains → DNS → Nameservers
Look for options labelled "Nameservers", "DNS Servers", or "Name Server Management".
Replace whatever nameservers are currently listed with the HOSTDOG nameservers:
- Remove or clear the existing nameserver entries
- Enter
ns1.hostdog.gras the first (primary) nameserver - Enter
ns2.hostdog.gras the second (secondary) nameserver - Save your changes
After saving, the change needs to propagate across the internet's DNS infrastructure. This typically takes:
- Most users: 1–4 hours
- Worldwide completion: Up to 24–48 hours
During propagation, some visitors may still reach your old host while others see your new HOSTDOG-hosted site. This is normal and temporary.
Use a free tool like whatsmydns.net to check propagation: enter your domain, select NS as the record type, and click Search. When most locations show ns1.hostdog.gr and ns2.hostdog.gr, propagation is complete.
Once DNS has propagated, open your browser and type your domain name. You should see either:
- Your website — if you've already uploaded files or installed a CMS
- A default/placeholder page — if you haven't set up your website content yet. This confirms the domain is correctly connected to your HOSTDOG hosting.
Alternative: Using DNS records instead of nameservers
In some cases, you may not want to change your nameservers — for example, if your DNS is managed by Cloudflare, or if you use a different provider for some services. In that situation, you can point your domain to HOSTDOG by updating individual DNS records:
| Record Type | Host | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | @ |
Your HOSTDOG server IP | 3600 |
| A | www |
Your HOSTDOG server IP | 3600 |
You'll find your server IP address in your HOSTDOG welcome email or in the Client Area under your service details.
Troubleshooting
- Double-check that the nameservers are saved correctly (no typos — it should be
ns1.hostdog.gr, notns1.hostdog.com) - Clear your browser cache and try again, or test from a different device
- Try flushing your local DNS cache: on Windows open Command Prompt and run
ipconfig /flushdns; on Mac open Terminal and runsudo dscacheutil -flushcache
If your domain just started pointing to HOSTDOG, the free SSL certificate may take a few minutes to be issued automatically. Wait 15–30 minutes and try again. If the warning persists after an hour, see How HOSTDOG's Free SSL Certificates Work.
This usually means your domain is pointed to HOSTDOG, but the hosting account isn't set up for that domain. Make sure your domain is added to your hosting account — check the Domains section in your control panel.
Frequently asked questions
There may be a brief period during DNS propagation where some visitors see the old site and others see the new one. If you're migrating an existing site, the best approach is to request a free migration first, so your site is already on HOSTDOG's servers before you switch the nameservers.
Yes. Instead of changing nameservers, update your MX records to point to HOSTDOG's mail server. See HOSTDOG Email Server Settings for the correct values.
If you purchased your domain and hosting together through HOSTDOG, the nameservers are typically configured automatically. Verify by typing your domain into a browser. If it loads your HOSTDOG hosting, you're all set.