Pointing a domain at your VPS (for your website or game server)

With a domain, your players type play.yourdomain.com instead of an IP, and if you ever move servers you only update the DNS instead of telling everyone.

Create the A record

In your domain provider's panel (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, IONOS...), in the DNS zone, create a record:

For a website, create one with @ and another with www, both to the same IP.

On Cloudflare: grey cloud for games

Cloudflare shows an orange cloud (proxy) next to each record. That proxy only works for websites (HTTP/HTTPS). For a game server, a database or SSH, set the cloud to grey ("DNS only"); otherwise your players cannot connect.

Is it working yet?

It usually takes a few minutes (sometimes up to a few hours). Check from your PC:

nslookup play.yourdomain.com

When the answer is your VPS's IP, you are done.

How players connect

• FiveM: in the F8 console, connect play.yourdomain.com (if you use the standard port 30120).
• Minecraft Java: play.yourdomain.com directly if the server uses port 25565.
• Other games: the name followed by the port if it is not the standard one, e.g. play.yourdomain.com:27016.

Minecraft on a different port: SRV record

If your Minecraft server does not use 25565, an SRV record lets players keep typing just the name:

The target must be a name with its own A record (not an IP).

For a website with HTTPS, carry on with Nginx and a free certificate.