How to Set Up Reseller Nameservers

Custom branded nameservers (ns1.yourbrand.com, ns2.yourbrand.com) replace the generic hosting provider nameservers with your own. Customers see your brand on their DNS records, which strengthens the white-label illusion and avoids exposing the upstream hosting provider.

Step 1: Choose hostnames for your nameservers

Conventional choices: ns1.yourbrand.com and ns2.yourbrand.com. Some resellers add ns3 and ns4 for redundancy across regions.

Step 2: Get the IP addresses of your upstream nameservers

Your reseller hosting provider gives you 2-4 IP addresses for the actual DNS servers. You’ll map your custom hostnames to these IPs.

Step 3: Register glue records with your domain registrar

Glue records tell registrars the IP for your custom nameserver hostnames. Most registrars have a “child nameserver” or “register nameserver” section in the DNS control panel.

Step 4: Create A records in your DNS

In your domain’s DNS zone, create A records: ns1.yourbrand.com pointing to IP1, ns2.yourbrand.com pointing to IP2.

Step 5: Update your domain to use the new nameservers

In your registrar control panel, change the nameservers for yourbrand.com to ns1.yourbrand.com and ns2.yourbrand.com.

Step 6: Verify propagation and test

DNS propagation takes 1-24 hours. Use intoDNS.com or DNSChecker.org to verify your custom nameservers resolve correctly worldwide.