How to Connect External Domain to namemyapp and Import DNS Records

You bought a domain on Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Porkbun. Now you want namemyapp to serve your landing page, handle your waitlist, and manage your DNS. The good news: you don't need to transfer the domain. You just need to connect external domain to namemyapp and point your nameservers at us.

This tutorial walks through the whole flow. It takes about 20 minutes, and most of that is waiting for DNS propagation. You'll do three things: add the domain inside namemyapp, update your external domain nameservers at your registrar, then import dns records so nothing breaks.

We'll cover the exact steps, the common mistakes, and how to verify everything worked.

Before You Start: What You'll Need

Have these ready before you open any dashboards:

• Your domain name (obviously).
• Login credentials for your registrar, where the domain is currently registered.
• Access to your current DNS provider if your domain uses a third-party DNS host like Cloudflare or AWS Route 53.
• About 20 minutes of uninterrupted time.

You don't need to cancel anything at your current registrar. You don't need to pay namemyapp anything extra. Connecting an external domain is included with all plans, including the free tier.

Step 1: Add Your Domain Inside namemyapp

Log in to your namemyapp dashboard. In the left sidebar, click Domains, then click the Connect External Domain button.

Enter your domain without the protocol. Type yourdomain.com, not https://yourdomain.com. The input field will strip the protocol if you paste it anyway.

You'll see two options on the next screen:

• Use namemyapp nameservers — recommended for most people. We manage DNS, auto-renew SSL, and handle subdomain routing.
• Keep current nameservers, add a CNAME — for advanced setups where another service must stay authoritative.

For this tutorial, choose Use namemyapp nameservers. Click Continue.

namemyapp will now show you two nameserver addresses. They look something like:

ns1.namemyapp.com
ns2.namemyapp.com

Copy both. You'll need them in the next step.

Step 2: Update External Domain Nameservers at Your Registrar

This step happens outside namemyapp. Log in to the registrar where you bought the domain. The exact menu labels differ, but the flow is the same everywhere.

Here's how it looks at the three most common registrars:

Namecheap

1. Open Domain List and click Manage next to your domain.
2. Scroll to the Nameservers section.
3. Select Custom DNS from the dropdown.
4. Paste ns1.namemyapp.com and ns2.namemyapp.com into the two fields.
5. Click the green checkmark to save.

GoDaddy

1. Open My Products, find your domain, click DNS.
2. Click Nameservers, then Change Nameservers.
3. Choose Enter my own nameservers (advanced).
4. Enter both namemyapp nameservers.
5. Click Save. GoDaddy will warn you about changing nameservers. That's normal.

Porkbun

1. Open Domain Management, click the Details icon next to your domain.
2. Find the Nameservers row and click Edit.
3. Delete the existing Porkbun nameservers.
4. Add the two namemyapp nameservers.
5. Click Submit.

What About Cloudflare or Route 53?

If your domain currently uses Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, or another external DNS host, you have two choices:

• Move DNS to namemyapp fully — update nameservers at your registrar to namemyapp, then import dns records into namemyapp. This is what we recommend.
• Keep Cloudflare in front — leave nameservers at Cloudflare and add a CNAME pointing to namemyapp. This preserves Cloudflare's WAF and caching but adds complexity.

For this tutorial, we're moving DNS to namemyapp. It's simpler to reason about.

Step 3: Import DNS Records Before Propagation Finishes

Here's the part most people skip, and it causes the most pain. When you change external domain nameservers, your old DNS records stop being served. If you don't recreate them inside namemyapp, your email, subdomains, and verification records all break.

The fix: import dns records from your old DNS provider before propagation completes. Or right after. The window is forgiving, but don't wait a week.

Export Records from Your Old DNS Provider

Go back to your old DNS dashboard. For Namecheap, that's under Advanced DNS. For GoDaddy, it's DNS > DNS Records. For Cloudflare, it's DNS > Records.

Look for an Export button. Most providers let you download a BIND zone file or a CSV. If there's no export option, take screenshots of every record. Seriously, screenshots work.

You're looking for these record types specifically:

• A records — point your apex domain and subdomains to IP addresses.
• AAAA records — IPv6 equivalents.
• CNAME records — alias subdomains to other hostnames.
• MX records — route email. These are the ones you cannot forget.
• TXT records — SPF, DKIM, domain verification, and other text-based records.
• NS records — only if you had custom nameservers before.

Add Records Inside namemyapp

Back in the namemyapp dashboard, go to Domains > Your Domain > DNS Settings. Click Import DNS Records.

You have two options:

1. Paste from zone file — if you exported a BIND file, paste the whole thing. namemyapp parses it.
2. Manual entry — add records one at a time using the form.

If you're doing manual entry, here's a quick reference for the most common records:

The @ symbol means "the root domain itself." If your provider uses a blank host field instead, leave it blank in namemyapp.

Here's what a minimal zone file import looks like:

$ORIGIN yourdomain.com.
@    3600  IN  A     76.76.21.21
www  3600  IN  CNAME yourdomain.com.
@    3600  IN  MX   10 mx1.yourmailprovider.com.
@    3600  IN  TXT  "v=spf1 include:spf.yourmailprovider.com ~all"

Paste that into the import box and click Parse. namemyapp will show you a preview of each record before saving.

Step 4: Verify DNS Propagation

DNS changes take time. The official term is propagation, and it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 48 hours depending on your registrar, your ISP, and the record's TTL.

You can check status without waiting blindly.

Run this from your terminal:

dig NS yourdomain.com +short

If the output shows ns1.namemyapp.com and ns2.namemyapp.com, your nameserver change has propagated to your local DNS resolver.

For a broader check, use a public DNS checker like dnschecker.org or whatsmydns.net. These query resolvers around the world and show you which ones still see your old nameservers.

Check your A record too:

dig A yourdomain.com +short

If it returns the IP you entered in Step 3, you're done.

Common Problems and Fixes

"Domain is still pending" in namemyapp

This means namemyapp hasn't detected your nameserver change yet. Wait a few hours, then click Re-check in the dashboard. If it's been over 24 hours, go back to your registrar and confirm you saved the nameserver change. Some registrars require a second confirmation click.

Email stopped working after the switch

You forgot to import MX records. Go to your old DNS provider, export the MX records, and add them inside namemyapp. Email should resume within an hour.

Website loads but shows the wrong content

You probably have an old A record pointing to a previous host. Check your A record inside namemyapp and make sure it matches your actual server IP.

SSL certificate not issuing

namemyapp auto-provisions SSL via Let's Encrypt. If the certificate is stuck, make sure your domain resolves to namemyapp's edge IP and that no CAA record blocks Let's Encrypt. Remove any CAA records unless you specifically need them.

When to Use a CNAME Instead of Nameservers

There's one scenario where you should not change external domain nameservers: when another service requires DNS authority.

For example, if you use Cloudflare for DDoS protection, you probably want to keep Cloudflare's nameservers. In that case, use namemyapp's CNAME mode instead.

In CNAME mode, you:

1. Keep your current nameservers.
2. Add a CNAME record for www pointing to yourdomain.namemyapp.site.
3. Add a redirect from apex to www at your DNS provider.

This works, but you lose namemyapp's automatic SSL for the apex domain and you manage DNS in two places. Most solo founders are better off moving nameservers fully.

FAQ

How long does it take to connect external domain to namemyapp?

The setup inside namemyapp takes under five minutes. The nameserver change at your registrar takes another five minutes. Propagation, the time it takes for the change to reach DNS resolvers worldwide, takes 10 minutes to 48 hours. Most people see full propagation within 2 to 6 hours.

Do I need to transfer my domain to namemyapp?

No. Connecting an external domain is not a transfer. You keep paying your current registrar. You keep ownership of the domain. namemyapp just becomes your DNS and hosting provider. If you ever want to leave, you change nameservers back.

What happens to my email when I change nameservers?

Your email keeps working only if you import dns records, specifically MX records, into namemyapp. If you skip this step, email will bounce. Export your MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records from your old DNS provider and add them inside namemyapp before or immediately after changing nameservers.

Can I connect a subdomain instead of my apex domain?

Yes. You can connect app.yourdomain.com or waitlist.yourdomain.com without changing nameservers for the whole domain. Use the CNAME mode in namemyapp and add a CNAME record at your current DNS provider pointing to yourdomain.namemyapp.site. This is useful if you want to keep your main site on another platform.

What if my registrar doesn't let me change nameservers?

Some country-code TLD registrars have restrictions. If you can't change nameservers, use CNAME mode instead. It works with any registrar that supports CNAME records, which is all of them. The tradeoff is manual SSL management for the apex domain.

Does namemyapp charge extra for external domains?

No. Connecting an external domain is included with all namemyapp plans. You pay your registrar whatever you already pay for domain renewal. namemyapp doesn't add a markup on top.