Private nameservers (also called custom, vanity or white-label nameservers) let you show ns1.yourbrand.com and ns2.yourbrand.com to clients instead of your host's nameservers. Resellers use them to keep their branding consistent. This guide explains glue records and how to set private nameservers up correctly.
Before you start
- A domain you control for the nameserver names (for example
yourbrand.com). - The IP addresses of the DNS servers that will answer – for reseller hosting, ask your host which IPs to use (on MdmHost, open a ticket at support if unsure).
- Access to your domain registrar's control panel.
What glue records are
To find ns1.yourbrand.com, a resolver would normally ask the nameservers of yourbrand.com – which are ns1.yourbrand.com itself. To break this loop, the TLD registry stores the nameservers' IP addresses directly. Those are glue records. Registrars call them "child nameservers", "host records", "register nameservers" or "private nameservers".
Register the glue records at your registrar
- Log in to your registrar and open the domain
yourbrand.com. - Find the child nameserver / host record section.
- Create
ns1→ first IP, andns2→ second IP (add IPv6 too if supported). - Save. The registry usually publishes them within minutes to a few hours.
Add matching A records in your DNS zone
In the zone that serves yourbrand.com, create A records with the same IPs:
ns1.yourbrand.com. 14400 IN A 203.0.113.10
ns2.yourbrand.com. 14400 IN A 198.51.100.20On cPanel use Zone Editor; in WHM, resellers and admins can manage nameserver records under the nameserver settings. The glue IPs and A records must match.
Point your own domain to the private nameservers (optional)
You can set yourbrand.com's nameservers to ns1/ns2.yourbrand.com once the glue exists. Make sure the DNS server already hosts the yourbrand.com zone first.
Point client domains to them
- Make sure each client domain's zone exists on the DNS servers behind your nameservers (cPanel creates it when you add the account).
- At each client domain's registrar, set the nameservers to
ns1.yourbrand.comandns2.yourbrand.com.
Verify
- Glue at the TLD:
dig +norec @a.gtld-servers.net ns1.yourbrand.com A(for .com/.net) – look in the additional section. - Your zone answers:
dig @203.0.113.10 ns1.yourbrand.com A +short. - A client domain resolves via them:
dig clientdomain.com NS +short.
Troubleshooting
- Registrar says the host does not exist: create the child nameserver first, then use it as a nameserver.
- Client domains don't resolve: the zone isn't on the DNS server, or ns1/ns2 point to IPs that don't run DNS.
- Glue IP and A record differ: resolvers may get inconsistent answers – make them match.
- Changing server IPs later: update both the glue at the registrar and the A records.
FAQ: private nameservers
Do private nameservers need separate servers?
Not necessarily. They can be branded names for the same DNS servers your host already runs, as long as the IPs answer for your zones.
Can ns1 and ns2 share one IP?
Some registrars allow it, but it removes redundancy and some TLDs require different IPs.
Do private nameservers affect SEO?
No. They are purely for branding; search engines don't care which nameservers you use.