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I am new to web deployment. I have a domain registered with Domain.com as the registrar, let's say it is something.press

I want to deploy a React app to Netlify (via Github integration) and use my custom domain above, but I want to use Netlify's CDN services. For the purposes of this question, I have the React / Github / deploy part done. This is about hooking up the domain and DNS.

I have already created a DNS zone with Netlify. In the instructions from Netlify they say to copy over DNS records from registrar to Netlify (for mail servers etc., but I don't use them and all I want to do is serve the React app with the custom domain at www.something.press).

I am following these instructions here: https://docs.netlify.com/domains-https/netlify-dns/delegate-to-netlify/

They also say to copy the DNS server names from Netlify to the registrar (here, I bought form Domain.com). I have done this part. My questions are as follows:

  1. Should I delete the existing nameservers (default DNS names) in Domain.com at the registrar, since I want to use Netlify DNS? Are these default DNS nameservers special in anyway such that I must keep them around, or will they conflict and need to be deleted?

  2. Once I have pointed my nameservers to Netlify's servers in the registrar's UI, should I delete the existing DNS records on the Domain.com (registrar side) that referenced the old default nameservers?

  3. Since I want to use the Netlify DNS, what is the bare minimum in DNS records I need to have in my Netlify configuration serve the simple React App (create-react-app, very vanilla). Is it sufficient to have NS and CNAME / SOA ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, even in understanding how the delegation works. Will my registrar just send requests to the Netlify DNS once I change the nameservers, or do I need to have special "glue" in DNS records at both the registrar and Netlify?

bbuck
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1 Answers1

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  1. Yes. You are configuring your brand new authoritative nameservers for your zone (NS registers) and they are going to be in Nelify and they are going to substitute the nameservers that Domain.com facilitates by default.
  2. Ditto
  3. As you know, DNS maps names to IP address. You should add any name that is going to be used to address your app. Normally @ or something.press. to use your domain without prefix (please note the trailing dot of the name), www (please note the absence of trailing dot) as an A, AAAA or CNAME record (if your fixed IP address are "yours", A or AAAA), If you are going to install mail servers, you should configure MX records and TXT records for SPF and DKIM, etc.
J.M. Robles
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  • Thank you, I was able to get it to work. I saved all the old values for DNS servers and DNS records as a backup and then deleted all reference to them on the registrar side. I copied some of the records you suggested, but after some time with the new DNS settings, Netlify's web console started automatically adding DNS records corresponding to randomly addressed deployments of the app (once I added the custom domain in Netlify). Netlify was also able to verify for SSL/TLS from the registrar. – bbuck Mar 27 '21 at 11:00