Follow this guide set up a DigitalOcean Droplet if you haven't already.

Step 1: Set Up the Domain in DigitalOcean

This is where you tell DigitalOcean that your domain (mynewdomain.com) will point to one of your droplets (servers). DigitalOcean needs this information to manage traffic and serve content to visitors trying to access your domain.

  • Log in to DigitalOcean: Navigate to your DigitalOcean account.
  • Access Domain/DNS Section: Click on Create (top-right corner) and select Domains/DNS.

• This takes you to the “Domains” tab where you’ll add your GoDaddy domain name.

• Enter your domain (e.g., mynewdomain.com) and select a project (if you have multiple).

• Click Add Domain.

After you click Add Domain in DigitalOcean, you will be shown a page where the system provides name servers for your domain. These are the DigitalOcean name servers that will handle the DNS requests for your domain.

Step 2: Create DNS Records in DigitalOcean

Once your domain is added, you’ll need to create DNS records:

Add Two A Records:

A Records are DNS entries that map a domain name to an IP address. By creating these, you are telling the internet where to find your droplet whenever someone types your domain.

  • First A Record for mynewdomain.com:
    • This directs anyone typing mynewdomain.com to your droplet’s IP address, ensuring traffic reaches your server.
    • Use the domain mynewdomain.com as the hostname. For the “will redirect to” field, either input your droplet’s IP or select it from the dropdown.
  • Second A Record for www.mynewdomain.com:
    • People may access your site using www, so this ensures visitors reach the site regardless of whether they include “www” in the URL.
    • Set the hostname to www.mynewdomain.com, again pointing to your droplet’s IP.

Having both versions (with and without “www”) ensures accessibility from either URL.

Step 3: Configure GoDaddy DNS Settings

Now that the domain is linked to your droplet, you need to configure your domain settings in GoDaddy:

Why, we need to do this?

GoDaddy, as your domain registrar, controls the DNS settings for your domain. Changing the name servers from GoDaddy’s to DigitalOcean’s is crucial. This step tells GoDaddy to use DigitalOcean’s DNS system to resolve your domain name.

1. Log into GoDaddy account: Access the Domain Manager, click on the three dots next to your domain, and select Manage DNS.

Select Nameservers tab and you can see Godaddy default nameservers:

2. Update Name Servers: Click on Change Nameservers button and choose "I'll use my own nameserver" option.

Enter DigitalOcean Nameservers, which are(As we get after Step 1):

• ns1.digitalocean.com

• ns2.digitalocean.com

• ns3.digitalocean.com

Note: Remove any "." character from nameservers at

This step tells GoDaddy to route traffic to your DigitalOcean droplet.

Step 4: Verify the Changes

DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours, but you can verify your setup by visiting check-host.net.

Enter your domain (both with and without “www”) to ensure everything is working correctly.

By following these steps, you’ll successfully connect your GoDaddy domain to your DigitalOcean droplet, allowing you to host your website 🥳