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07Domains, DNS & SSL

Fix DNS problems – domain does not reach your website

Domain shows the wrong page, will not load or emails are missing? With nslookup, dig and a decision tree you can find DNS errors at Nexthosting yourself.

In short

Check in this order: Are the nameservers correct? Are the records correct there? Has the TTL expired? Then clear your computer’s DNS cache. With nslookup or dig you can see what DNS actually answers. Most of the time the problem is not the server but an old record or simply the waiting time.

Page does not load – what now?

Section titled “Page does not load – what now?”
What do you see when you open your domain?
An error such as "Server not found" or "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN"The domain does not resolve at all: check nameservers and records
Someone else's page or an old pageOld record or cache: check the A record
A certificate warningCertificate not issued yet
Default server page or an error message from the serverDNS is fine, the website is not: check the error codes
Broken only for you, works for othersLocal cache

Diagnostic tools

Section titled “Diagnostic tools”

You do not need any special software. On Windows, open the Command Prompt or PowerShell; on macOS and Linux, open the Terminal.

Terminal window
nslookup meinprojekt.de
nslookup -type=NS meinprojekt.de
nslookup -type=MX meinprojekt.de
nslookup meinprojekt.de 1.1.1.1

The last line asks the public resolver 1.1.1.1 directly instead of your own. That way you can tell whether only your resolver still knows the old answer.

You can easily find online DNS checking services by searching for “DNS lookup”. They query from several places around the world and show how far the change has spread.

Step 1: check nameservers

Section titled “Step 1: check nameservers”
Terminal window
nslookup -type=NS meinprojekt.de

The result shows who serves your zone. Does that match the place where you maintain the records? If it shows ns1.nexthosting.net and ns2.nexthosting.net, only the records in the DNS editor of the web panel apply. If you then changed records at your old provider, nothing happens. If Nexthosting should manage the DNS records, set exactly these two nameservers at the registrar. More in DNS basics.

Step 2: check A, AAAA and CNAME

Section titled “Step 2: check A, AAAA and CNAME”
Terminal window
nslookup meinprojekt.de
nslookup www.meinprojekt.de
nslookup -type=AAAA meinprojekt.de
Finding Cause Solution
Address does not match the one in the web panel Old A record Correct the record (Manage DNS records)
Two different addresses Old and new A record side by side Delete the old one
AAAA points to the old server Forgotten IPv6 record Delete or correct the AAAA record
www does not resolve CNAME is missing Set www as a CNAME to the main domain
NXDOMAIN Name does not exist Create the record or check the spelling
Timeout Nameservers do not respond Check the nameservers, look at the status at the registrar

Step 3: TTL and waiting time

Section titled “Step 3: TTL and waiting time”

If you have just changed something, patience is often the only thing that helps. A change only becomes visible when the old answer expires in the caches.

How long you have to wait
  1. A/AAAA/CNAME changeUsually minutes up to one TTL lengthWith TTL 3600, about an hour
  2. TXT, MXLike A, but mail servers also cache on their ownEmails may still go to the old server for a while
  3. Nameserver changeUp to 48 hoursUsually much faster
  4. New domainA few hours

Flush the local DNS cache

Section titled “Flush the local DNS cache”

Your computer and your router also remember answers. If others already see the new page but you do not:

Terminal window
ipconfig /flushdns

In addition:

  • Restart the browser completely or use a private window.
  • Chrome and Edge have their own host cache (chrome://net-internals/#dns or edge://net-internals/#dns).
  • Restart your router briefly or test from a different network (phone without Wi-Fi).
  • Set a different DNS server, e.g. 1.1.1.1.

The browser cache can also show old pages. See Understanding caching.

Typical symptoms

Section titled “Typical symptoms”
Description Likely cause Page
The domain shows “Welcome” or a default server page Domain not assigned to the website Connect a domain to your website
Certificate warning after a move Certificate not issued yet or AAAA wrong SSL certificates
Emails do not arrive MX wrong or missing, nameserver change Email DNS
Game server not reachable through the domain SRV or A record wrong Connect a domain to your game server
Domain expires Renewal forgotten or domain cancelled Register or transfer a domain
Domain at Nexthosting, but old nameservers after the transfer Nameservers not updated Check the nameservers; for DNS at Nexthosting ns1.nexthosting.net and ns2.nexthosting.net

Frequently asked questions

Section titled “Frequently asked questions”

My domain only works without www. Why?

Section titled “My domain only works without www. Why?”

A DNS record for www is missing (usually a CNAME to the main domain), or the server does not know www as an alias of the website.

I set everything correctly, but nothing happens. Now what?

Section titled “I set everything correctly, but nothing happens. Now what?”

Check whether you changed the records in the right place (step 1). That is the most common reason.

How can I test without waiting for DNS?

Section titled “How can I test without waiting for DNS?”

Use the preview address of your website (<name>-<4 characters>.staging.nexthosting.app). It works independently of your domain.

Further reading

Section titled “Further reading”