If you already have a domain registered with another provider (GoDaddy, IONOS, Namecheap, Aruba…), you can use it on your Arcadina website in two ways:
Keep it with your provider and point it to Arcadina by changing two DNS records. Your current email keeps working as it is.
Transfer it to Arcadina, to have everything in one place and be able to create email accounts with us.
Option 1: keep the domain with your provider
In your Arcadina control panel go to Account / Domain, type your domain name, choose the extension and click Check availability. As the domain already exists, choose the option to set the DNS configuration for the domain on your registrar. We’ll send you an email with the exact details for your website.
Go to your provider’s DNS management and set these records:
A record for the domain (without www, sometimes shown as @): the IP we give you in the email. There must be only one A record.
CNAME record for www: the value yourwebsite.arcadina.com (your website’s Arcadina address, also in the email). Don’t write “www” in the value.
Delete any AAAA record.
Don’t touch the MX or TXT records: leave them as they are so your email and the other services on your domain keep working.
Go back to Account / Domain and verify the domain. If a record isn’t right, you’ll see a message telling you which one to check.
DNS changes take up to 24 hours to propagate, though it’s usually quicker. If they aren’t recognised yet when you verify, wait a while and verify again. Your website will be shown with www in front (www.yourdomain.com).
If your provider only lets you change the nameservers
Some registrars don’t let you edit the A and CNAME records, only change the nameservers. In that case we recommend Cloudflare (it has a free plan): set Cloudflare’s nameservers at your registrar and create the A and CNAME records there. Don’t turn on Cloudflare’s proxy (the “orange cloud”): leave the records as DNS only.
SSL certificate (https)
The SSL certificate is automatic, free and renews itself: as soon as your domain points correctly to Arcadina, it’s issued almost instantly and your website shows with https. You don’t need to buy or upload any certificate.
If the browser shows “Not secure” right after connecting the domain, clear the cache or try another browser. If it’s still the same, write to us in the chat.
Important: if you later change the DNS or the domain expires with your provider, your website will stop showing on your domain and the certificate will fail. Keep the domain renewed.
Option 2: transfer the domain to Arcadina
Before you start: the DNS records you have now with your provider aren’t kept in the transfer. If you use the domain for other services (email such as Google Workspace, Zoho Mail or ProtonMail, Google Search Console or Meta verifications, etc.), send us those records (MX, TXT, CNAME…) first so we can set them up and they keep working.
In Account / Domain, type your domain, click Check availability and choose the option to transfer the domain to Arcadina. We’ll send you an email with the instructions.
At your current provider, unlock the domain and request the authorisation code (AuthCode or EPP).
Send us the code in the chat or by replying to our email.
An email will reach the domain’s administrative contact to approve the transfer: accept it and we’ll finish the process.
The transfer includes a one-year renewal of the domain and has a cost: we’ll tell you the price before doing it. If you sign up for an annual Web or Suite plan, registering or transferring the domain is free for the first year for these extensions: .com, .net, .org, .es, .com.es, .eu, .de, .fr, .it, .nl, .be, .no, .co.uk and .com.co. For .es domains we need the holder’s name, address and tax ID.
Email accounts hosted with your current provider aren’t transferred. If they’re on an external service (Google Workspace, Zoho Mail…), they keep working as long as you sent us their records before the transfer. You can also create new accounts with us.