Domains

Manage authoritative DNS for your domains directly in ZCP. Add a domain, point your registrar at ZSoftly’s name servers, and manage all your records from one console.

Overview

The DNS section lets you host your domain’s DNS zone on ZSoftly infrastructure. After you add a domain and point your registrar at ZSoftly’s name servers, ZCP becomes the authoritative DNS provider for that domain.

Typical workflow:

1. Add your domain to ZCP (for example, example.com).
2. Update name servers at your domain registrar to point to ZSoftly.
3. Add DNS records (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and others) to route traffic.
4. Verify propagation and you’re live.

Add a Domain

1. Navigate to DNS → Domains in the ZCP console.
2. Click Add Domain.
3. Enter your domain name (for example, example.com) and confirm.
4. ZCP creates the DNS zone and shows the name servers you must configure at your registrar.

ZSoftly Name Servers

After adding a domain, ZCP assigns two authoritative name servers. Point your domain’s name server (NS) settings at these values from your registrar’s control panel:

Name server	Value
Primary	ns1.zsoftly.ca
Secondary	ns2.zsoftly.ca

Note

The exact name server hostnames also appear in the ZCP console when you add your domain. If the console displays different values, always use the ones shown there.

Update Name Servers at Your Registrar

To make ZSoftly authoritative for your domain, replace the name servers at the registrar where you purchased the domain with both ZSoftly values. The general process is the same everywhere:

1. Sign in to your domain registrar.
2. Find the Nameservers (or DNS / Name server) settings for your domain.
3. Switch from the default/registrar-managed name servers to custom name servers.
4. Enter both ZSoftly name servers (primary and secondary) exactly as shown in the ZCP console.
5. Remove any leftover name servers so only the two ZSoftly values remain.
6. Save your changes.

Caution

Name server changes take up to 24 to 48 hours to propagate globally, and often complete much sooner. During propagation, visitors reach either the old or new DNS. Add your DNS records in ZCP before switching name servers to avoid downtime.

Registrar Quick Reference

Find your registrar below and follow its official guide. Steps and menu names change over time, so the vendor’s own documentation is always the source of truth.

Registrar	Official guide for changing name servers
GoDaddy	Change my domain nameservers
Namecheap	How to change DNS for a domain
Squarespace Domains (formerly Google Domains)	Making changes to nameservers
Amazon Route 53	Adding or changing name servers and glue records
IONOS	Using your own name servers for a domain
Name.com	Changing nameservers for DNS management
Hover	Changing your domain nameservers
Porkbun	How to change nameservers
Bluehost	How to change your Bluehost nameservers
HostGator	Change name servers with other registrars
Cloudflare Registrar	See the Cloudflare exception below. Direct name server changes are not supported.

Example: GoDaddy

1. Sign in to your GoDaddy Domain Portfolio.
2. Select your domain, then choose Domain Edit Options → Edit Nameservers (or the ⋯ menu → Edit Nameservers).
3. Choose I’ll use my own nameservers (Enter my own nameservers).
4. Replace the existing values with the two ZSoftly name servers from the ZCP console.
5. Click Save.

Example: Namecheap

1. Sign in to Namecheap and open Domain List in the left sidebar.
2. Click Manage next to your domain.
3. In the Nameservers section, select Custom DNS from the drop-down.
4. Enter both ZSoftly name servers in the fields provided.
5. Click the green ✓ (checkmark) to save.

Tip

Most registrars use the same pattern: find Nameservers, switch to Custom DNS, and enter the two ZSoftly values. If you can’t find the setting, search the registrar’s help center for “change nameservers”.

Cloudflare Exception

Cloudflare Registrar does not allow you to point your domain at third-party name servers like ZSoftly’s. Per Cloudflare’s Registrar FAQ, a domain registered with Cloudflare must use the Cloudflare-assigned name servers. There is no field to enter custom name servers, and Cloudflare warns you of this at the time of purchase.

If your domain is registered with Cloudflare Registrar, choose one of these two paths instead:

Option A: Recreate the records in Cloudflare (keep the domain at Cloudflare). Leave the domain on Cloudflare’s name servers and, in the Cloudflare dashboard, manually create DNS records that point to your ZSoftly resources (for example, an A record to your ZCP instance’s public IP). In this setup Cloudflare stays authoritative and you manage records in Cloudflare rather than in ZCP. Use the Cloudflare DNS records guide.

Option B: Transfer the domain to a registrar that allows custom name servers. Transfer the domain out of Cloudflare to a registrar such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Porkbun, then follow the registrar quick reference to point its name servers at ZSoftly. See Cloudflare’s transfer-out guide. Registrar transfers take several days, and the domain must be unlocked with a valid transfer (EPP/auth) code.

Note

This restriction applies only when Cloudflare is your registrar. If your domain is registered elsewhere and merely uses Cloudflare’s name servers, change the name servers back at the actual registrar using the guides above.

Verify Propagation

After saving, confirm the world sees ZSoftly as authoritative for your domain.

From a terminal:

# Query your domain's name servers
dig NS example.com +short

# Or on Windows
nslookup -type=ns example.com

You should see the ZSoftly name servers in the response. To check global propagation, use an online tool such as whatsmydns.net (select the NS record type).

Caution

If the old name servers still appear after 48 hours, double-check that you saved both ZSoftly values, removed any stale entries, and that the domain isn’t locked or expired at the registrar.

Next Steps

• Manage DNS records: add and edit A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other records once ZSoftly is authoritative.