Guide: Pointing Your Domain from Namecheap to a Nigerian Host

Moving a domain to a new host does not require transferring its registration. You can keep the domain registered with Namecheap while directing its website and, if desired, email services to a Nigerian hosting provider such as Ruachost. The process usually involves changing two nameserver entries, but protecting existing DNS and email records requires a little preparation.

Introduction: Why Point Your Domain to a Nigerian Host#

Your domain registrar and web host perform different jobs. The registrar maintains your domain registration, while the hosting provider stores your website and makes it available online. Pointing the domain connects these services by telling the Domain Name System (DNS) where your website should be found.

Choosing a Nigerian host may offer practical advantages for a business serving customers in Nigeria. These can include local support, payment methods suited to Nigerian customers and infrastructure selected for the provider’s target market. Ruachost also plants a tree for every hosting plan.

You have two main ways to connect a Namecheap-registered domain to Ruachost:

Changing nameservers is generally the simplest approach when Ruachost will manage both the website and email. Keeping Namecheap DNS offers more control when services are split between multiple providers.

Before changing anything, prepare the following:

• Your Namecheap account login details
• The domain you want to connect
• Your active Ruachost hosting account
• Ruachost’s nameservers: nsa.ruachost.com and nsb.ruachost.com
• A copy of your current A, CNAME, MX and TXT records
• Access to your Ruachost cPanel
• A recent website and email backup

Copying the current DNS records is especially important. Records at the old DNS provider are not automatically transferred when you replace nameservers. Losing an MX or TXT record could interrupt email delivery or affect domain verification.

Step 1: Access Your Namecheap Account#

Visit the Namecheap website and sign in to the account that controls your domain. Use the correct username and password, then complete two-factor authentication if it is enabled.

Once signed in, confirm that the domain appears in your account. If it does not, consider whether:

• The domain belongs to another Namecheap account.
• A colleague or developer originally registered it.
• You have signed in with an email address different from the one used during registration.
• The domain has expired or moved to another registrar.

Do not share your account password with a web designer or hosting technician. If another person must assist you, supervise the change or use an account-access feature with appropriate permissions where available.

This is also a good time to confirm that the domain is active. An expired or suspended domain will not resolve properly even if the nameservers are correct. Check its renewal status and verify that there are no unresolved notices in your dashboard.

Before continuing, open your Ruachost hosting welcome email or cPanel in another browser tab. Confirm that the domain has been added to the hosting account. In cPanel, this is normally handled under Domains. DNS can point to the right server while still displaying an error if the server has not been configured to recognise the domain.

Step 2: Navigate to Domain List#

From your Namecheap dashboard, open Domain List. Find the domain you want to connect and select Manage beside it.

Be careful if your account contains several domains with similar spellings or different extensions. Updating the wrong one will not damage the intended domain, but it could disconnect another active website or email service.

On the management screen, locate the Nameservers section. It usually appears under the domain settings rather than the separate advanced DNS record editor.

At this stage, take a screenshot of the existing nameserver setting and save it somewhere secure. The screenshot provides a rollback reference if you need to restore the previous configuration. It should clearly show:

• The selected domain
• The current nameserver option
• Every nameserver currently listed
• The date or approximate time of the change

You may see options such as Namecheap BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or Custom DNS. To delegate DNS management to Ruachost, you will select Custom DNS in the next step.

If you plan to retain DNS management at Namecheap, do not change this menu. Instead, use the advanced DNS area to edit the website’s A and CNAME records while leaving important email records intact.

Step 3: Update DNS Settings#

First decide whether you want Ruachost to control all DNS records or only want the website to use Ruachost’s server.

Option A: Delegate DNS to Ruachost#

Choose Custom DNS in the Nameservers section. This tells the internet to ask Ruachost’s authoritative nameservers for records associated with your domain.

This approach is recommended when:

• Your website and email will both operate through Ruachost.
• You prefer to manage DNS from one hosting panel.
• You do not need to preserve a specialised external DNS configuration.
• Ruachost has provided the necessary DNS zone for the domain.

Changing nameservers affects the entire DNS zone—not only the website. Review your old records before saving, especially if you use an external email service, domain verification records, subdomains or third-party applications.

Option B: Retain Namecheap DNS#

Leave the current nameservers unchanged and edit individual records in Advanced DNS. Obtain your Ruachost server IP from cPanel or your hosting account information, then configure the website records.

This option is useful when your website is hosted by Ruachost but email remains with another service. Remove or replace conflicting A or CNAME records carefully; duplicate or contradictory records can send visitors to the wrong server.

Do not enter a placeholder IP address. Use the exact IP assigned to your hosting account. Also remember that an A record must contain an IPv4 address, not a URL such as https://example.com.

If DNSSEC is enabled, check compatibility before changing nameservers. DNSSEC uses signed DNS data and registrar-level DS records. Old DS records that do not match the new DNS provider’s configuration can cause validation failures, making the domain appear unavailable. Ask support for guidance rather than deleting security settings without understanding their role.

Step 4: Enter Your Nigerian Host's Nameservers#

If you selected the recommended nameserver method, remove the existing nameservers and enter the Ruachost values exactly as follows:

• nsa.ruachost.com
• nsb.ruachost.com

Place one nameserver in each field. If the page initially shows only one field, use the interface control to add another.

Copy and paste the values to avoid typographical errors. Common mistakes include:

• Writing ns1 instead of nsa
• Writing ns2 instead of nsb
• Misspelling ruachost
• Adding https:// before a nameserver
• Entering a complete website URL
• Leaving an unrelated old nameserver in a third field

Nameserver fields accept hostnames only. Do not add slashes, spaces or page paths. When you finish, compare each character with the values supplied by Ruachost.

Do not combine Ruachost’s nameservers with nameservers from the previous DNS provider. Authoritative nameservers should serve a consistent DNS zone. Mixing providers can return conflicting answers depending on which nameserver receives a query.

If your hosting setup uses different nameservers from those listed here, follow the details specifically assigned to your account. Hosting providers sometimes operate more than one server environment, so account-specific instructions should take priority over examples found online.

Finally, confirm once more that the domain has been added in Ruachost cPanel under Domains. If you intend to use Ruachost email, create the required mailboxes and confirm that the DNS zone contains the expected MX and related email records.

Step 5: Save Changes and Wait for Propagation#

Select the checkmark, save button or confirmation control beside the nameserver fields. The precise control may vary as account interfaces are updated.

After saving, reload the page and verify that both Ruachost nameservers remain visible. If the old values return, the change may not have been submitted successfully.

DNS updates are not immediate everywhere. Recursive resolvers and internet service providers cache earlier answers until their time-to-live periods expire. Most visitors may see the new website within several hours, but allow 24 to 48 hours for nameserver propagation to complete globally.

During propagation, different users can receive different results:

• One network may show the new website.
• Another may continue showing the previous site.
• A mobile connection may update before office broadband.
• Email may temporarily follow cached routing information.
• Your browser may display a cached page even after DNS has updated.

Avoid repeatedly changing the nameservers while waiting. Each new change complicates diagnosis and may extend the period of inconsistent results.

Record-level updates can sometimes appear faster than a full nameserver change, particularly when their TTL values are low. However, the actual timing still depends on DNS caching. If you are planning a future migration, lowering the relevant TTL in advance can shorten the lifespan of cached records, although it does not eliminate propagation entirely.

Keep the old hosting account active during the transition if the website or email is business-critical. This allows cached traffic to continue reaching functioning content while the DNS change spreads.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips#

If the domain is not working after the expected propagation period, diagnose the problem methodically rather than changing several settings at once.

Start by checking the domain’s authoritative nameservers with a neutral DNS lookup service. The result should show nsa.ruachost.com and nsb.ruachost.com if you delegated DNS to Ruachost.

Next, test the domain through both Wi-Fi and mobile data. If it works on one but not the other, the configuration may be correct while one resolver still has cached information. Restarting a router or clearing a device’s DNS cache can help locally, but it cannot force every public resolver to update.

If the homepage shows a directory, default page or account error, DNS may already be working. The issue is more likely to involve the hosting configuration, document root or uploaded website files.

For email problems, check more than the MX record. Modern email configurations commonly depend on TXT records for SPF, DKIM or DMARC. If you changed nameservers without recreating those records, outgoing messages may fail authentication or arrive in spam folders.

An SSL certificate may also take time to become available because the hosting server must first verify that the domain points to it. Once DNS is consistently resolving to Ruachost, check the certificate status in cPanel. Do not assume that a browser certificate warning means the nameserver change failed.

If the domain remains unavailable after 48 hours, collect screenshots of the current nameservers, DNS lookup results and the exact browser error before contacting support. These details make troubleshooting much faster.

Conclusion: Final Checks and Verification#

Once propagation has had time to complete, open the root domain and its www version in a private browser window. Test important pages, images, forms, login areas and redirects. If the site processes orders or enquiries, perform a complete test submission.

Confirm that:

• The domain resolves to the intended website.
• Both root and www versions work.
• HTTPS loads without certificate warnings.
• Email can send and receive messages.
• External verification and TXT records remain valid.
• The old hosting account is retained until the migration is fully confirmed.

Pointing a domain changes where its services operate; it does not move the domain registration away from Namecheap. You can continue managing registration and renewals there while Ruachost handles the hosting and, if selected, authoritative DNS.

Ready to connect your domain to Nigerian hosting? Visit Ruachost to set up your hosting account or ask the support team to verify your DNS configuration.