> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.noxity.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Domains — first steps

> What to do in the first ten minutes after registering or transferring a domain at Noxity: verify contact details, set nameservers, configure DNS records, point at hosting, lock down the panel.

<div className="not-prose mb-8 pb-6 border-b border-gray-200 dark:border-gray-800">
  <div className="mb-3 text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400">
    Updated: April 30, 2026
  </div>

  <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-5 gap-y-3">
    <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/noxity/7AGDPHJNWXOTggDq/images/team/matic.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=7AGDPHJNWXOTggDq&q=85&s=236856f5898caae2ec034701c8cb2290" alt="Matic Bončina" className="w-10 h-10 rounded-full object-cover" width="256" height="256" data-path="images/team/matic.png" />

      <div className="flex flex-col leading-tight">
        <span className="text-sm text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
          By <strong className="font-semibold">Matic Bončina</strong>
        </span>

        <span className="text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400">
          Founder
        </span>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div className="ml-auto">
      <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-[11px] tracking-wide uppercase font-semibold px-2.5 py-1 rounded-full bg-gray-200 text-gray-700 dark:bg-gray-800 dark:text-gray-300">
        <Icon icon="clock" size={14} iconType="regular" />

        Review pending
      </span>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

<a href="https://noxity.io/?utm_source=docs&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=60day-free" className="not-prose hidden xl:flex fixed right-6 bottom-6 z-50 w-[200px] flex-col gap-1 rounded-xl p-3 no-underline text-white shadow-lg transition-transform duration-200 hover:scale-[1.03] hover:shadow-xl" style={{ background: 'linear-gradient(135deg, #B83553 0%, #FF3A6D 100%)' }}>
  <span className="text-[10px] uppercase tracking-wider font-semibold opacity-80">
    Like what you see?
  </span>

  <span className="text-[13px] font-semibold leading-tight">
    Tired of your old host?
  </span>

  <span className="text-[11px] opacity-90 leading-snug">
    Switch to Noxity. 60 days, no card on file.
  </span>

  <span className="text-[11px] font-bold mt-1 inline-flex items-center gap-1">
    Try free →
  </span>
</a>

Once a domain lands in your account (fresh registration or inbound transfer, doesn't matter which), a short list of setup steps turns it from "owned" to "actually doing something". This page goes through them in the order most people care about.

Not registered yet? The [TLD overview](/domains/registrations/tlds/overview) lists every TLD we offer and the registry-side rules for each. Transferring a domain in? [Transfer in](/domains/transfers/inbound) is the dedicated walkthrough; come back here once the transfer completes.

## The first ten minutes

<Steps>
  <Step title="Verify the registrant email">
    For most gTLDs, ICANN requires us to send a registrant verification email after registration or after a contact change. The email subject is *"Important: Verify your email address for `<domain>`"* and you have 15 days to click the link. Miss it and the registry suspends the domain until you do, then you're stuck with a pile of work to bring it back.

    Check the inbox of the registrant email (set during signup or in the [domain panel](/domains/management/panel) under **Contact details**). Click the verification link. Done.

    Full email reference on [Verification emails](/domains/registrations/contact-details/verification-emails/overview).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick where DNS lives">
    The nameserver section of the [domain panel](/domains/management/panel) decides which DNS host the registry points at.

    * **In-house DNS.** Free with any hosting plan, managed in cPanel's [Zone Editor](/web-hosting/cpanel/domain-management/zone-editor). Pick this if you're hosting the site with us. Walkthrough on [In-house DNS](/domains/management/ns/inhouse).
    * **Free NS.** Free with every Noxity domain regardless of whether you have hosting. Standalone DNS panel, sensible defaults. Walkthrough on [Free NS](/domains/management/ns/free).
    * **External DNS.** Cloudflare, Route 53, AWS, your own. The domain panel tells the registry which nameservers to publish; the records themselves live at the third party. Walkthrough on [External DNS](/domains/management/ns/external).

    Save the choice. The change pushes to the registry within seconds and resolvers pick it up over the next hour or two (longer if the previous nameservers had a high TTL).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the records">
    The records to add depend on what you're pointing at:

    * **A** record at `@` (the apex) pointing at the IP of your hosting account, your CDN, or your application server.
    * **A** record at `www` pointing at the same target, or a `CNAME` of `www` pointing at the apex.
    * **MX** records pointing at your email host (cPanel by default if you have a hosting plan, or an external like Google Workspace / Microsoft 365).
    * **TXT** records for SPF, DKIM, DMARC email deliverability; Google / Microsoft / Apple verification tokens; site verification for analytics.

    For Noxity hosting, the [welcome email](/home/essentials/check-your-inbox) lists the IP address and the MX records to use. For external hosts, their setup docs spell out the records.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Lock down the panel">
    The toggles in the [domain panel](/domains/management/panel) that protect against accidental loss or hijack:

    * **Transfer lock.** On by default after registration. Keeps the domain at our registrar; flip off only when you're starting an outbound transfer.
    * **Auto-renew.** Off by default. Toggle on if you want the domain to renew without manual intervention. Mechanics on [Auto-renew](/domains/renewals/auto-renew).
    * **WHOIS privacy.** On by default wherever the registry permits. Hides your contact data behind a Noxity-managed proxy. No-op on `.de`, `.eu`, `.it` (registry publishes minimum data by policy).

    Two-factor on the Members Area account itself adds another layer; turn it on under **Profile → Security** if you haven't already.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm DNSSEC if it matters">
    DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to your DNS records so resolvers can verify they haven't been tampered with. Whether you need it depends on your threat model; for most sites it's nice-to-have.

    On Noxity DNS (in-house or Free NS), DS records are auto-published at the registry; the chain is set up the moment the zone is signed. On external DNS, your provider gives you the DS data and you add it manually in the domain panel's **DNSSEC** section. Walk-through on [Domain panel → DNSSEC](/domains/management/panel#dnssec).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Keep the registration alive">
    A registered domain is a yearly contract with the registry. The reminder schedule fires regardless of auto-renew, but the lifecycle moves on with or without you:

    * **Active.** Registration in good standing.
    * **Expired.** Grace period, free recovery.
    * **Redemption.** Recovery with a registry fee.
    * **Pending delete.** 5-day final window; no recovery.
    * **Released.** Public again, anyone can register.

    Full walkthrough on [Domain renewals](/domains/renewals/overview).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## After the first ten minutes

Common next steps:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect to hosting" icon="link" href="/home/web-hosting/getting-started">
    If the domain is for a site, the Web Hosting first-steps page is the natural follow-up.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set up free email forwarding" icon="envelope" href="/domains/freebies/inbox">
    `you@yourdomain.com` forwarding to any external mailbox. Free with every domain.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Add a subdomain" icon="sitemap" href="/web-hosting/cpanel/domain-management/domains">
    Sub-domains for `blog.`, `shop.`, or per-environment URLs. Records added in the same DNS host.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plan multi-year renewal" icon="calendar-days" href="/domains/renewals/multi-year">
    Lock the rate and stop touching the renewal flow for up to 10 years on most TLDs.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="DNS isn't resolving. What should I check?">
    Walk through it in order. First, confirm the nameservers at the registry match where your records actually live; the [domain panel](/domains/management/panel) shows what we publish. Next, confirm the records exist where DNS is hosted; a missing A record is a common cause of "site doesn't load". Finally, give it time. Resolver caches honour the previous TTL, which can be hours. Use `dig +trace yourdomain.com` to see the chain from root through TLD to your nameserver if you want to debug live.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My domain is verified but the registry still flags it as 'pending'">
    Some registries (notably DENIC for `.de`) check that the configured nameservers actually respond authoritatively for the domain before lifting the pending state. If your DNS isn't set up at the new nameservers yet, the flag stays. Add the records, wait a few minutes, then trigger a re-check from the [domain panel](/domains/management/panel).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I park a domain temporarily?">
    Yes. Either point the nameservers to [Free NS](/domains/management/ns/free) and add a single A record to `1.1.1.1` (or any "we'll figure this out later" target), or just leave the domain on the registry's default nameservers. The registration is fine either way; only DNS is affected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I bought the wrong TLD?">
    Within 14 days, we can refund the registration if the registry permits. Most do for the first registration. Past 14 days, the domain is committed at the registry and a refund isn't possible. Open a ticket as soon as you realise; the sooner the cleaner.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Need a hand?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Open a ticket" icon="life-ring" href="https://members.noxity.io/submitticket.php">
    Best for anything that needs an account check or a config change on our end.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Live chat" icon="messages" href="https://noxity.io/contact">
    Faster for quick questions during business hours.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<div className="mt-8">
  <Accordion title="Sources" icon="book-bookmark">
    * [Domains overview](/domains/overview)
    * [TLD overview](/domains/registrations/tlds/overview)
    * [Domain panel](/domains/management/panel)
    * [Verification emails](/domains/registrations/contact-details/verification-emails/overview)
    * [Domain renewals](/domains/renewals/overview)
    * [Transfer in](/domains/transfers/inbound) · [Transfer out](/domains/transfers/outbound)
    * [Free DNS](/domains/freebies/dns) · [Free email forwarding](/domains/freebies/inbox)

    <div className="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-gray-200 dark:border-gray-800 text-xs text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400 italic leading-relaxed">
      These guides were ported from our legacy knowledgebase by AI, then reviewed and extensively tested by humans before publication to ensure the migration went through smoothly.
    </div>
  </Accordion>
</div>