New Private DNS Service for Enhanced Online Privacy and Completely White-Label Hosting
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We are now introducing our own Private DNS service, which allows you to customize the default name servers on our platform for enhanced online privacy and completely white-label hosting. It takes full advantage of our centralized DNS service, which was built to ensure faster domain name resolving for a faster website loading, enhanced reliability, and easy DNS management, and which also formed the basis for our own Cloud-based Content Delivery Network to additionally improve site performance.
Introducing our Private DNS service
The DNS service translates the domain names (pages’ URLs) to the numerical IP addresses of the servers hosting the website content. Thus instead of visitors having to type a combination of numbers in the browser, they can use letters and words. Thanks to our centralized DNS service, all domains registered with SiteGround are now using the same default name servers: ns1.siteground.net and ns2.siteground.net. Our Private DNS service makes it possible to change those to your own custom name servers, based on your own domain names or your brand. It allows you to point all your websites’ domains to these unique name servers. For example:
- ns1.mydomainname.com
- ns2.mydomainname.com
What are the benefits of our new Private DNS service?
Enhanced online privacy
Using custom domain server names helps enhance your online privacy. The Private DNS service hides the default ns1.siteground.net and ns2.siteground.net name servers. This obfuscation of the information makes it harder for third parties to find out where exactly your domain is located, which hinders them from taking advantage of potential issues that may arise on the servers.
Completely white-label hosting
The Private DNS service is especially useful for white-label resellers. If you wish to offer hosting to your clients, but you don’t wish them to know that the service is provided by SiteGround and have them communicate with us directly, using the Private DNS is a great idea. That will help you conceal who’s the original host, which makes you the sole provider and increases your brand name visibility.
How to activate and manage the Private DNS service?
You can activate Private DNS for your domain from Client Area > Marketplace > Hosting Services > Additional Services. You get this service for free if you are on a GoGeek or Cloud hosting plan. The Private DNS is also available on a yearly subscription basis for all other customers who want to use this service. To be able to enable Private DNS for your domain name, it must be registered with SiteGround.
To manage and view your DNS information, you can do so from Client Area > Services > Domains > Manage (for the associated domain) > Extras.
Comments ( 34 )
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Stach Redeker
Will the nameservers ns1.siteground.net and ns2.siteground.net no longer work if one activates this service? Or is it still possible to point a domain using those name servers? I am asking because some domains that I manage are external, and it is harder for me to change the nameservers that those domains are pointing to.
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
The private DNS activation will automatically switch your name servers to the new custom ones for the website it was activated. Afterward, if needed, you can still revert the change and change your name servers to ns1.siteground.net and ns2.siteground.net.
Rick
Clarification, please? So if I activate Private DNS my nameservers will take one of my domain names I select. However, does my client need to change the old default ns1 and ns2 to the new private nameservers?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
Once you activate the service, you are not obliged to use it for all websites hosted in the same account. You can either use ns1.siteground.net & ns1.siteground.net or the new custom name servers.
Audrey
So to be clear - I have set up the custom name server, you're saying that on any clients' sites that I have access to their domain registrar, I can go in and change the nameservers to ns1.mysite.com and ns2.mysite.com (or use the default) and it will work either way? I don't need to do anything to individual sites within siteground, correct?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
You can use our Central DNS or your registered custom name servers even on websites registered through external registrars. You only need to have active hosting with SiteGround for these websites.
Stach Redeker
Is it true that you are only able to activate this for one domain per GoGeek plan?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
You can activate the Private DNS for one domain name at a time within all available ones in your ClientArea.
Aaron
So, if I have four GoGeek accounts, I can have them all use the same custom Private DNS of my choice?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
Yes. Once you register the custom name servers, you can use them on any websites for which you have active hosting with us, even if the sites are under different hosting accounts.
Zoltan
I think it is a great service, altough I can not use it, because I can not transfer my .hu domain names to Siteground. Is there any way we could use it with domain names registered elsewhere? Even as a paid service?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
You can enable Private DNS on any domain name registered with SiteGround, and you can point any domain names, even your externally registered .hu ones, to these custom name servers. I hope that clarifies the matter!
Zoltan
Thank You, that is great. One question remains: Will the Name Servers information change to the custom DNS on the Site Tools Dasboard (under Site Information)? Thank You!
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
The Site Tools Dashboard will show the Central DNS name servers for the domain for which the Private DNS is enabled.
Rick
In the article above its states pretty clearly that "To be able to enable Private DNS for your domain name, it must be registered with SiteGround." However, in your reply to this person you contradict what the article says? I own all of my domain names at Google Domains and they're pointing to my two GoGeek Servers and one Cloud Server. So you're saying as long as they're "pointing" by IP address to Siteground I can use those domain names? Or do I have to transfer them to Siteground so that Siteground becomes my registrar?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
To clarify, you need at least one domain name registered or transferred to SiteGround, examplegiven.com. You can activate the Private DNS with it, and use the custom name servers (ns1.examplegiven.com & ns2.examplegiven.com) on any domain name, even on externally registered domains. I hope that clears the confusion. For any additional information, feel free to reach our Support directly from your Client Area. We'd be glad to check your set up and offer personalized advice.
Ivan
But as i understand Zoltan, you can't have a .hu or as i a .dk as private DNS domains, because we can't transfer that to SiteGround :-(
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
That is right, still you can add the Private DNS name servers on these externally registered .hu/.dk domain names. You just need at least one domain name registered or transferred to SiteGround for the activation of the feature. :)
Alan
Any pricing info? All I see is 1 Month - Free
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
All accounts with one active GoGeek or Cloud plan are eligible for activating 1 Private DNS for free. Clients on StartUp and Grow Big plans can purchase the service for the amount of $99/year.
Niall
Fancy! Love how all these things just happen :) sounds like a great feature.
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
Thank you, we are glad to hear our efforts for enriching the variety of services offered are appreciated.
Harry
Hi Team Thank you for the info provided. I just would like to clarify the correct prodecure where the domain is hosted with other service provider and webhositing is with SiteGrould. Following is my understanding; 1. Change Name Server on the domain service provider as; ns1.siteground.net ns2.siteground.net 2. Apply on SiteGround member login portal for; ns1.mydomainname.com.au ns2.mydomainname.com.au (Because my domain is com.au) 3. Once it's done, I can go back to my domain service provider (other than SiteGround) to change the name server as ns1.mydomainname.com.au ns2.mydomainname.com.au Is it correct?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
Since you intend to use the custom name servers on your domain names, you do not need to change your name servers to the Central DNS ones, so you can omit step 1. We would like to remind you that the Private DNS can be activated only if your .com.au domain is registered with SiteGround. If so, you need to do only steps 2 and 3. If it is with an 3-party registrar - only step 1.
Rifat
My domain registered in namecheap, can I use this service? I cant see any option to add externally registered domain to use this service.
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
Private DNS can be activated only with domain name registrations managed through SiteGround. If you do not have such, you would need to either transfer a domain name or register another one and use that for the Private DNS activation. Afterward, these custom name servers can be set on any domain name, regardless of its registrar.
Lucas
I'm getting 'None Available' under domain and have VPS Cloud account.
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
If you have at least one domain name registration active, you are eligible for the free Private DNS with your Cloud plan. Please reach our Support directly so we can check into why you are getting this error.
Terungwa
Hello, I'm a GoGeek customer and would love to utilize these, since they are complimentary for my account type. Will there be any charge down the line? And if there would be, would I be able to safely revert to the status quo?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
We can confirm that there would not be any unexpected charges added without the account owner's approval first. Feel free to activate the service. It can be canceled at any time, and you can safely revert to the Central DNS name servers whenever you decide to stop using it.
Steve
I am not a techy guy so let me put it simply. I am a cloud account with SiteGround. My domain is routed through Cloudflare, do you think the above service is of any use to me? I am afraid my website might collapse with this change. Please guide in easy language.
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
If your domain name is already routed through CloudFlare, your whois information does not reveal that you are using our hosting services. Still, if you'd like to use the Private DNS, you can register an alternative domain name for that without disrupting your existing CloudFlare service.
Dave
Hello. We have a cloud account with SG. If we activate private DNS, will this affect the existing API's we have in place?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
Unless your website API is tied with the domain name servers, the Private DNS activation should not affect the API setup. Still, if you want to be on the safe side, reach our Support so our technicians can verify that for you.
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