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Fix a domain that won't resolve

“This site can’t be reached,” NXDOMAIN, “server not found,” or the domain still loading your old host — these are DNS resolution problems. DNS is just a lookup from name → IP, and when it fails it’s almost always one of a few things.

Step 1: see what DNS actually says

Terminal window
dig +short yourdomain.com          # the A record (should be your server IP)
dig +short www.yourdomain.com
dig NS yourdomain.com +short       # which nameservers are authoritative

Compare the IP to your server’s. That tells you where the problem is:

ResultMeaning
Correct IPDNS is fine — the problem is elsewhere (app/SSL/firewall)
Old/wrong IPstill pointing at the old host — update the A record
Blank / NXDOMAINno record, or the domain isn’t delegated correctly

Step 2: the usual causes

1. Not propagated yet. You just changed the record. DNS caches for a while — wait 5–30 minutes (up to the record’s TTL). Lower the TTL before a planned change so future switches are fast.

2. Record at the wrong place. Make sure you edited DNS where the domain is actually managed — your registrar, or OrbixPanel if you delegated it. Editing records at a provider that isn’t authoritative does nothing.

3. Nameservers not delegated. If you’re using OrbixPanel’s DNS, the domain’s nameservers (set at the registrar) must point to your server. dig NS shows what’s authoritative — if it’s not what you expect, fix the delegation at the registrar.

4. Domain expired. Check the domain is actually registered and paid for — an expired domain stops resolving entirely.

5. Typo in the record. A trailing space, wrong IP, or @ vs www mix-up.

Step 3: confirm the fix

Re-run dig +short yourdomain.com until it returns the right IP, then load the site. Once it resolves, finish with SSL.

dig reads live DNS; your browser may cache longer. Test resolution with dig first, then trust the browser after a hard refresh.

Running OrbixPanel? Manage authoritative DNS for your domains right in the panel. OrbixPanel.com → — the free, self-hosted, AI-powered hosting control panel.