Guides
Connecting a domain to your SMM panel: nameservers, A records and SSL
Your panel should live at your own domain, over HTTPS. Pointing a domain is one small change at your registrar; this guide explains the two ways to make it and what to check afterwards.
Why your own domain
Customers remember your address, bookmark it and share it. A domain you own is also what lets you move to other software later without losing them. Register it in your own name, at a registrar you trust, and switch on two-step login there.
Option 1: change the nameservers
Nameservers decide who answers for your domain's DNS. Setting them to your panel host's nameservers hands the DNS to the host, who then points the domain at your panel for you. It is the simplest option, and with Arty it is the default: set the nameservers to dns1.artypanel.com, dns2.artypanel.com, dns3.artypanel.com and dns4.artypanel.com, and you can manage the DNS records from your Arty account.
If you use email at the same domain, add your mail records (MX, SPF and similar) in the new DNS manager after the switch, or your mail stops.
Option 2: keep your DNS and add a record
If your DNS already lives somewhere you want to keep, such as your registrar or a CDN, leave the nameservers alone and add one record instead: an A record that points the domain to the panel's IP address, or a CNAME record that points a subdomain such as www to the address your host gives you. The values to enter are shown where you order the panel.
Do not leave old records for the same name in place: two A records for one name send some visitors to the old site.
How long it takes
A new record is often visible within minutes, but DNS answers are cached, so some visitors can see the old address for a few hours. A nameserver change can take longer, occasionally up to a day or two, depending on the registrar and the domain extension. Changing records again and again while you wait only restarts the clock.
SSL: the padlock
A panel takes logins and payments, so it must load over HTTPS. Hosted panels usually issue the certificate for you once the domain points to them. On Arty the site detects when your domain is pointed and issues SSL by itself, with no certificate to buy or renew.
Checks before you share the link
- The domain and
wwwboth open the panel, and one redirects to the other. - The browser shows the padlock with no warning, on a phone as well as a computer.
- Old addresses (an old panel or a parking page) no longer answer for the domain.
- Email at the domain still arrives, if you use it.
With the domain live, the rest of the launch is in how to start an SMM panel. The FAQ answers the other questions people ask about domains and setup.