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To connect a domain to a WordPress site on a VPS, point the domain’s DNS to the VPS’s stable public IP, configure the VPS web server to recognize both the root and www hostnames, set WordPress’s canonical URL, then issue a TLS certificate and redirect HTTP to HTTPS. DNS only gets a request to the server; Nginx or Apache must still select the correct WordPress site.
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The sequence matters. Back up the existing DNS zone, preserve mail and other services, verify DNS with dig, configure the virtual host, and only then request HTTPS. This guide assumes WordPress, PHP, a database, and a web server are already installed on a Linux VPS.
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A domain connection has two separate layers:
- DNS: records tell resolvers which IP address or hostname belongs to a domain. An apex A record sends
example.comto the VPS IPv4 address; awwwCNAME can pointwww.example.comto the apex. - Web-server hosting: Nginx or Apache receives the request and chooses a site configuration based on the requested hostname. That configuration must point to the WordPress document root and pass PHP requests to PHP-FPM.
Changing DNS without configuring the server can produce a default Nginx page, an Apache placeholder, or the wrong site. Configuring a server block without DNS leaves the public domain pointing somewhere else.
Check the prerequisites before editing DNS
Use a stable public address
Find the VPS’s public IPv4 address in the hosting control panel or with the provider’s documented method. It must be reachable from the internet and must not be an ephemeral address that changes after a stop, restart, or rebuild. If the provider offers an Elastic IP, reserved IP, or equivalent static allocation, attach it before changing DNS. WordPress developer guidance specifically describes assigning an Elastic IP when an instance address can change.
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Record the address you intend to publish. The illustrative address 203.0.113.10 used later is documentation-only; replace it with the actual public address assigned to your VPS.
Confirm the software already exists
This procedure assumes that WordPress files, a database, PHP, and either Nginx or Apache are installed. You also need administrative access to the VPS, access to the authoritative DNS host, and permission to open TCP ports 80 and 443 in the VPS firewall or provider security group.
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Decide whether the canonical site will be the apex form (https://example.com) or the www form (https://www.example.com). Both can work. Pick one for WordPress and redirects, while keeping the other available as an alternate that redirects to it.
Back up the current DNS zone
Before touching a record, sign in to the registrar or DNS provider that is authoritative for the domain and export or copy every existing record. WordPress’s official guidance recommends this backup because a web-only change can accidentally remove email, shop, application, verification, or other subdomain records.
Keep at least the following in the backup:
- MX records and any mail-related A, CNAME, TXT, or SPF records.
- DKIM and DMARC TXT records.
- Existing subdomains such as
shop,app,api, or staging hosts. - CAA, verification, and service-discovery records.
- Any existing AAAA records, noting which server each one reaches.
Do not replace the entire zone with only the two web records. DNS providers differ in how they display the zone, so save a screenshot or export as well as a text copy when possible.
Choose between changing nameservers and editing records
Nameservers determine which service hosts the domain’s entire DNS zone. Individual records change only the entries needed for the website.
| Approach | Use it when | Main consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Change nameservers | The domain is used only for this website, or you are deliberately moving all DNS management to another provider. | The new provider becomes authoritative for mail, subdomains, verification records, and every other DNS entry; recreate them before switching. |
| Edit A and CNAME records | Email, a shop, an app, or other subdomains must remain with their current services. | The existing DNS provider stays authoritative, and only the website hostnames change. |
WordPress documentation describes both choices and recommends editing individual records when existing services must continue without interruption. If you do delegate nameservers, copy the complete zone to the new provider first and check MX and TXT records before updating the registrar.
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Add the DNS records for the VPS
Use an apex A record
At the authoritative DNS host, create or edit an A record whose name is the provider’s representation of the apex: commonly @, an empty name, or the bare domain. Set its value to the VPS’s public IPv4 address.
Point www with a CNAME
Create a CNAME named www that points to the apex domain, such as example.com. Some DNS interfaces automatically append the domain; follow that interface’s format. If your provider supplies different target values, use those exact values.
| Type | Name | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | @ | 203.0.113.10 | 3600 seconds in this illustrative configuration |
| CNAME | www | example.com | 3600 seconds in this illustrative configuration |
The 3600-second TTL is an example used by Nxeon’s 2026 VPS configuration guidance, not a universal requirement. A lower TTL can make a planned migration easier; a higher TTL reduces repeated lookups. The effective delay is controlled by cached TTLs and provider behavior, so changing TTL after a record has already been cached cannot instantly flush old answers.
Check for an interfering AAAA record
An AAAA record sends IPv6 clients to a different destination. If that server is not the same VPS, remove the obsolete AAAA record or replace it with the VPS’s correct IPv6 address after confirming IPv6 is configured. Leaving a stale AAAA record can make the site work for some visitors and fail for others because IPv6-capable clients may prefer it over IPv4.
Leave unrelated records intact
Do not delete MX, mail, shop, app, API, TXT, CAA, or unrelated subdomain records. A DNS change for the website should not alter email delivery or another service’s hostname.
Wait for DNS and verify it from outside the VPS
After saving the records, query them from a workstation or another network. Use:
dig example.com +short
dig www.example.com +shortThe apex query should return the VPS address. The www query may show the CNAME target and then the resulting address, depending on the resolver and command output. Continue when both names resolve to the intended VPS or CNAME chain.
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Nameserver changes can take up to 72 hours according to WordPress.com Support’s 2026 guidance. Record edits often appear sooner, but local resolver caches, ISP caches, and the previous TTL still apply. If one network sees the new address and another sees the old one, that is normally propagation rather than a WordPress fault.
Interpret common dig results
- Correct VPS address: DNS is reaching the intended server; move on to the web-server configuration.
- Old address: confirm you edited the authoritative DNS host, then wait for cached TTLs to expire.
- No answer: check the record name, spelling, zone, and whether the nameserver delegation is actually using this provider.
- Unexpected IPv6 result: inspect and correct the AAAA record before testing HTTPS.
Configure Nginx or Apache for both hostnames
Once DNS reaches the VPS, configure the installed web server. The exact file path, service name, PHP-FPM socket, and reload command depend on the Linux distribution and VPS image, so use the image provider’s instructions rather than treating one command as universal.
Nginx server block requirements
The server block must include both names in its server_name directive, point root to the WordPress document root, provide the normal WordPress front-controller fallback, and pass PHP files to the installed PHP-FPM service. A conceptual block looks like this:
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /path/to/wordpress;
index index.php index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
location ~ .php$ {
# Use the PHP-FPM socket or upstream supplied by your VPS image.
}
}The path and PHP-FPM endpoint above are examples of the settings that must exist, not distribution-independent commands. Test the configuration with the operating system’s Nginx validation command and reload only after it reports valid syntax.
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Apache virtual host requirements
For Apache, create or edit the virtual host so ServerName is the chosen canonical hostname and ServerAlias includes the alternate hostname. Set DocumentRoot to the WordPress directory, enable the required rewrite and PHP modules, and use the PHP handler supported by the VPS image. Validate the configuration before reloading Apache.
In either server, a request for the domain must select this site rather than the default virtual host. If the default page appears, DNS is probably working but the hostname does not match the intended server block or virtual host.
Set WordPress’s canonical URL
In the WordPress administration area, open Settings > General and set both WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) to the same final hostname. Use the HTTPS form after the certificate is installed, for example https://example.com or https://www.example.com. Do not leave one field on the apex and the other on www.
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These values control generated links, redirects, feeds, media URLs, and login behavior. The alternate hostname should be handled by the web server with a redirect to the canonical one, not by maintaining two independent WordPress URLs.
If changing the URL locks you out
A mistyped hostname or premature HTTPS value can make the dashboard inaccessible. Restore the previous values through the database or the WordPress configuration file using the recovery procedure documented for your hosting image. Exact commands vary by distribution, database setup, and installation method, so do not run a command copied from an unrelated VPS without checking its paths and credentials.
Issue and install HTTPS only after DNS works
Request a Let’s Encrypt certificate or another certificate from a trusted certificate authority after both hostnames resolve to the VPS and the web server answers them. The certificate should cover the hostname you chose as canonical and its alternate, whether that means the apex plus www or the reverse.
Certificate validation normally requires the authority to reach the site over the public internet. Confirm that the VPS firewall and any provider security group allow TCP ports 80 and 443. Check for conflicting CAA records and an incorrect AAAA record if issuance fails.
Install the certificate and the complete certificate chain in the TLS server configuration. Nginx documentation specifically notes that the full chain must be sent, not merely the leaf certificate. Configure the HTTP virtual host to redirect to the HTTPS canonical hostname, and configure the HTTPS host to serve WordPress.
After enabling TLS, update both WordPress URL fields to the final HTTPS value if you have not already done so. Redirecting before the certificate is valid can create a loop or an unreachable site; issuing the certificate before DNS reaches the VPS can fail domain validation.
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- Open the apex over HTTP and HTTPS.
- Open
wwwover HTTP and HTTPS. - Confirm the non-canonical hostname redirects once to the chosen HTTPS canonical URL.
- Confirm the canonical page loads WordPress content rather than a default server page.
- Sign in to the dashboard and open several media URLs.
- Inspect the browser for mixed-content warnings, especially images, scripts, stylesheets, and embedded media still using HTTP.
- Send and receive a test email to confirm that MX and related records were preserved.
- Repeat the DNS checks from a second network if some visitors still report the old site.
A successful browser result alone is not enough: it may be coming from a cached DNS answer. Compare the hostname answers with dig and test both IPv4 and IPv6 paths when the domain publishes both address families.
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Choose a canonical hostname: apex or www
| Choice | Configuration needed | Operational note |
|---|---|---|
| Apex canonical | A record for @; www CNAME; both names in the web server and certificate; redirect www to the apex. |
Visitors see the shorter bare domain. |
| www canonical | A record for @; www CNAME; both names in the web server and certificate; redirect the apex to www. |
The explicit web subdomain can be useful when other services occupy subdomains. |
The important requirement is consistency. DNS, the virtual host, TLS certificate, WordPress URL settings, and redirects must all agree on which hostname is canonical.
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Use the web server already installed and supported by the VPS image. Nginx and Apache implement the same hostname and TLS concepts: match both names, serve the WordPress root, process PHP, and redirect the alternate hostname. Replacing the web server solely to connect a domain adds migration risk without changing the DNS steps.
Provider-managed DNS can integrate with VPS automation and certificate tools. Registrar-managed DNS keeps the zone in one familiar account. Neither changes the required A, CNAME, preservation, propagation, or verification steps. The authoritative nameservers, not the company where the domain was purchased, determine where records must be edited.
Troubleshoot by symptom
dig still returns the old address
Check the authoritative nameservers first; you may have edited a non-authoritative dashboard. If the nameservers are correct, wait for the previous TTL and broader propagation window. Do not repeatedly change records while caches are still expiring, because each change makes diagnosis harder.
The apex works but www fails
Confirm that a www CNAME exists and points to the intended apex. Then confirm that both names appear in the Nginx server_name or Apache ServerAlias, and that the certificate includes both names.
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A default Nginx or Apache page appears
DNS is reaching the VPS, but the requested hostname is selecting the default virtual host. Check spelling, enabled-site links, server-block order, and the document root. Reload the server only after its configuration validation succeeds.
HTTPS certificate issuance fails
Run dig for both names, check that ports 80 and 443 are reachable from the internet, inspect firewall and security-group rules, and look for conflicting CAA or AAAA records. A certificate authority cannot validate a hostname that resolves to another server or is blocked on the validation path.
Email stopped after the web change
Compare the live zone with the backup. Restore MX, DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and any mail-related A or CNAME records that were removed. Do not solve a website problem by replacing the whole zone with only the A and CNAME records.
Only some visitors see the old site
Different recursive resolvers may still hold the previous answer. Check the TTL and wait for caches to expire before changing the records again. If the split persists beyond the expected window, verify delegation and inspect both A and AAAA responses.
End-to-end change checklist
- Reserve a stable public VPS address.
- Confirm WordPress, PHP, the database, and Nginx or Apache are installed.
- Export the current DNS zone.
- Decide whether to delegate nameservers or edit only web records.
- Create the apex A record for the VPS IPv4 address.
- Create the
wwwCNAME and inspect for stale AAAA data. - Preserve mail, shop, app, verification, and unrelated subdomain records.
- Verify both names with
dig. - Configure the web server for both hostnames and the WordPress document root.
- Set WordPress Address and Site Address to one chosen canonical hostname.
- Issue a certificate covering the canonical and alternate names.
- Install the full certificate chain and redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
- Test both hostnames, both protocols, the dashboard, media, mixed content, and email.
Following that order keeps DNS, the VPS web server, WordPress, and TLS aligned. When a failure occurs, identify which layer is failing before changing another one.
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