How to Point Your Domain to Hostking (Nameserver Information)

How to Point Your Domain to Hostking (Nameserver Information)

When you purchase hosting from Hostking, your domain needs to be pointed to Hostking's servers before your website and email will work. You do this by updating your domain's nameservers at wherever the domain is registered.

This guide covers the correct nameservers to use and how to update them.

Step 1 — Find Your Nameservers

Use the nameservers below that match your hosting type. If you're not sure which plan you're on, check your welcome email or log into my.hostking.host and view your active services.

Shared Hosting

DirectAdmin Hosting (most Hostking customers)

ns01.hkdns.host
ns02.hkdns.host

cPanel Hosting

cdns1.hkdns.co.za
cdns2.hkdns.co.za

Plesk / Windows Hosting

plesk-dns01.hkdns.co.za
plesk-dns02.hkdns.co.za

Managed VPS Hosting

Managed cPanel VPS

cvdns1.hkdns.co.za
cvdns2.hkdns.co.za

Managed Plesk VPS

pvdns1.hkdns.co.za
pvdns2.hkdns.co.za

Unmanaged VPS Hosting

Unmanaged Linux or Windows VPS

vdns1.hkdns.co.za
vdns2.hkdns.co.za

We recommend using Cloudflare DNS for unmanaged VPS servers — it's free and improves performance and security.

Temporary Nameservers

Only use these if specifically advised by our support team:

Temporary cPanel DNS

cdns1temp.hkdns.co.za
cdns2temp.hkdns.co.za

Temporary Plesk DNS

plesk-dns01temp.hkdns.co.za
plesk-dns02temp.hkdns.co.za

Step 2 — Update Your Nameservers at Your Registrar

Log into the website where your domain is registered and find the nameserver or DNS settings. The exact steps vary by registrar — here are the most common ones used by SA customers:

If your domain is registered at Hostking:

1. Log into my.hostking.host
2. Click Domains in the top menu
3. Click Manage next to your domain
4. Click Nameservers
5. Replace the existing nameservers with the ones from Step 1
6. Click Save Changes

If your domain is registered at another registrar (e.g. afrihost.com, xneelo.co.za, GoDaddy, Namecheap):

1. Log into that registrar's control panel
2. Find your domain and look for DNS, Nameservers or Domain Management
3. Select Custom Nameservers or Use own nameservers
4. Delete the existing nameservers and enter the Hostking ones from Step 1
5. Save your changes

If you're not sure where to find nameserver settings at your registrar, search for "[registrar name] how to change nameservers" or contact their support team — they can walk you through it in under 2 minutes.

Step 3 — Wait for DNS Propagation

After updating your nameservers, do not panic if your website or email isn't working immediately. DNS changes take time to spread across the internet — this is called propagation.

• Most changes take effect within 30 minutes to 4 hours
• Full global propagation can take up to 24–48 hours in some cases
• During propagation, some people may see your site and others may not — this is completely normal

To check whether your nameservers have propagated, go to whatsmydns.net, enter your domain name, select NS from the dropdown and click Search. If you can see Hostking's nameservers appearing in most locations around the world, propagation is well underway.

What Happens After Propagation

Once your nameservers have updated, the following will automatically start working:

• Your website will load (once you've uploaded files or installed WordPress)
• Your email accounts will work (once you've created them in DirectAdmin or cPanel)
• Your SSL certificate will activate automatically

Common Questions

My domain is registered at Hostking — do I need to change nameservers?
Usually no. When you register a domain through Hostking and purchase hosting at the same time, the nameservers are set automatically. If your domain was registered at Hostking but you're not sure if it's pointed correctly, log into my.hostking.host, click Domains → Manage → Nameservers and verify they match the ones above.

I updated the nameservers but my email stopped working
This can happen if your email was previously set up through a different host. Once nameservers point to Hostking, you need to create your email accounts in DirectAdmin or cPanel. See our guide: How To Setup Custom Email @YourDomain.com on DirectAdmin

My website is live but email isn't working (or vice versa)
This usually means only part of the DNS has propagated. Wait another few hours and test again. If it's been over 48 hours, open a support ticket and include your domain name — our team will check the DNS configuration.

I have Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email — will changing nameservers break it?
Yes, changing nameservers will overwrite your existing DNS records including your MX records for Google or Microsoft email. Before changing nameservers, contact our support team — we can add your Google or Microsoft MX records to Hostking's DNS so your email continues to work uninterrupted.

Need Help?

If you're unsure which nameservers to use or something isn't working after propagation, our SA support team is available every day from 7am to 10pm via live chat at hostking.host or by opening a ticket at my.hostking.host.