How to Set Up Custom Nameservers in WHM / cPanel

The Professional Polish

When you sell white-label Reseller hosting, the entire goal is ensuring your clients never know you are renting server space from an upstream provider like AmanaFlow.

If a client does a WHOIS lookup on their domain and sees ns1.gigantic-hosting-corp.com, the illusion breaks. You must configure Custom Nameservers.

Defining Glue Records

You have a "chicken and egg" problem in DNS. If your domain is youragency.com, and the nameserver responsible for resolving youragency.com is ns1.youragency.com, how does the internet find ns1 in the first place?

The answer is Glue Records. You register the IP address of ns1 directly with the top-level Domain Registrar (like Namecheap, GoDaddy, or AmanaFlow Domains).

Step 1: Obtain the IP Addresses

Your Reseller hosting provider should have emailed you two specific IP addresses for your nameservers.

• Primary IP: 192.168.1.1 (Example)
• Secondary IP: 192.168.1.2 (Example)

Step 2: Configure WHM (Server Side)

1. Log into your WHM Control Panel.
2. Search for Basic WebHost Manager Setup.
3. Scroll down to Nameservers.
4. Enter your custom nameservers (e.g., ns1.youragency.com and ns2.youragency.com).
5. Click Configure Address Records for both. Provide the IPs you were given.
6. Click Save.

Step 3: Register Glue Records (Registrar Side)

Log into the dashboard where you purchased youragency.com. The phrasing differs by company:

• AmanaFlow Domains: Go to Domain Management > Private Nameservers.
• Namecheap: Go to Advanced DNS > Personal DNS Server.
• GoDaddy: Hostnames.

Register ns1 pointing to the Primary IP, and ns2 pointing to the Secondary IP.

Step 4: The Final DNS Update

Now that the Glue Records exist, go back to your standard Nameserver settings in your registrar and change your domain to actually use those new nameservers. Wait 2 to 24 hours for global DNS propagation.

FAQs

Q: Can I use Cloudflare and Custom Nameservers at the same time?
A: No. If you use Cloudflare, Cloudflare is your nameserver provider. You must use Cloudflare's provided nameservers, though Business-tier accounts allow for Custom Vanities.