Finding and correctly using CURIAWEB nameservers

If your domain is registered with another registrar and you want to use it with your CURIAWEB hosting, you can connect the domain to the corresponding DNS infrastructure using the CURIAWEB nameservers, among other methods.

The CURIAWEB nameservers are:

ns1.curiaweb.ch
ns2.curiaweb.ch

These nameservers are entered with the registrar where your domain is currently managed. After the switch, DNS requests for the domain will be answered by the CURIAWEB nameservers.

Briefly explained: You do not necessarily have to transfer your domain to CURIAWEB to use CURIAWEB hosting. You can keep the domain with your current registrar and point the nameservers to ns1.curiaweb.ch and ns2.curiaweb.ch change.

What are the CURIAWEB nameservers? #

For CURIAWEB hosting, you use the following name servers:

Nameserver 1

ns1.curiaweb.ch

Nameserver 2

ns2.curiaweb.ch

If your registrar provides multiple fields for nameservers, you enter each nameserver into its own field.

Additional nameserver fields do not need to be filled out unless a different configuration is planned for your domain.

What happens if I change the nameservers? #

The nameservers determine which DNS infrastructure is authoritatively responsible for your domain's DNS zone.

If you set the nameservers of your domain to:

ns1.curiaweb.ch
ns2.curiaweb.ch

change, the DNS authority will be delegated accordingly to the CURIAWEB nameservers.

From this point on, the required DNS entries must be correctly present in the DNS zone managed there.

We explain what authoritative nameservers and DNS zones are exactly at DNS simply explained: How the Domain Name System works.

Where do I need to enter the CURIAWEB nameservers? #

If your domain is registered with another registrar, you generally change the nameservers where the domain is managed.

Depending on the provider, the corresponding function may be referred to, for example, as:

• Nameserver
• DNS server
• Change nameserver
• DNS Management
• use external name servers

There you replace the previously stored authoritative nameservers with:

ns1.curiaweb.ch
ns2.curiaweb.ch

The exact name and location of this setting differ from registrar to registrar.

Important: Do not change individual DNS records and the nameservers at the same time on a hunch. A nameserver change and the modification of individual DNS records are two different processes.

Do I have to transfer my domain to CURIAWEB? #

No. A domain transfer is not strictly necessary to use CURIAWEB hosting.

You can keep your domain registered with your current registrar and simply update the nameservers or the required DNS records.

Registrar, DNS provider, and web host do not technically have to be the same company.

We explain the difference between these roles under Registry and Registrar: What is the difference?.

How to connect an externally registered domain to your hosting is covered in more detail at Keep domain with another registrar and connect to CURIAWEB Hosting.

What is the difference between a nameserver change and a domain transfer? #

At a Nameserver change the domain remains registered with the previous registrar. The DNS infrastructure that is authoritatively responsible for the domain is changed.

At a Domain transfer instead, the administration of the domain is transferred from one registrar to another.

For example, that means:

You can meine-firma.ch continue to manage with your previous registrar while using the CURIAWEB nameservers.

Alternatively, you can transfer the domain to CURIAWEB and also manage it via CURIAWEB.

We explain how a domain transfer works at Domain transfer to CURIAWEB: How the transfer works.

Do I need to change the nameservers if my domain is already with CURIAWEB? #

Not fundamentally.

If your domain is already set up correctly and uses the designated CURIAWEB nameservers, you do not need to make any changes.

Nameservers should not be changed without a specific reason. An unnecessary change can result in existing DNS settings no longer being used.

Practical Tip: If the website and email are already working correctly, do not change the nameservers as a precaution or on suspicion. First, check which nameservers are currently authoritative for your domain.

What will happen to my previous DNS records? #

This is one of the most important points when changing a nameserver.

DNS records are located in the DNS zone of the previously used nameservers. If you change the authoritative nameservers, the records existing there are not automatically transferred to the new DNS infrastructure just by doing so.

Therefore, the new DNS zone must contain all the records that you still need.

This may include, for example:

• A and AAAA records for websites and other services
• CNAME Records
• MX records for email
• TXT records for SPF
• DKIM records
• DMARC records
• Verification records of external services
• additional subdomains and special configurations

We explain the most important record types under DNS Records Explained: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and CAA.

Why is email particularly important when changing a nameserver? #

The DNS zone contains not only information for your website.

A domain's email traffic also depends on DNS records. In particular, MX records determine which mail servers accept emails for the domain.

Additionally, TXT and other DNS records for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC may be required.

For example, if you move your website to CURIAWEB, but want to continue using the email services with an external provider, its email-relevant DNS records must still be correctly present after changing the nameservers.

Attention: A name server change without considering the existing e-mail configuration can cause the website to function while e-mail reception or transmission is impaired.

What if I use external email services? #

External email services can still be used even if the CURIAWEB nameservers are responsible for your domain.

However, the DNS records required for this must be stored in the DNS zone provided by the CURIAWEB nameservers.

Which values are required depends on the email provider or service used.

In particular, take over MX, SPF, DKIM, and verification values exactly according to the documentation of the respective service.

What if I use SpamExperts? #

If incoming emails for your domain are filtered via SpamExperts, the designated MX records must be configured correctly.

SpamExperts first receives incoming messages, filters them, and then forwards legitimate emails to the configured destination mail server.

We will explain the corresponding facility under Set up SpamExperts incoming filtering and configure MX records.

Can I have only the website displayed on CURIAWEB? #

Yes. A complete nameserver change is not required in every scenario.

If the existing DNS infrastructure is to be retained with the previous provider, depending on the configuration, only the DNS records required for the website can be adjusted.

For example, an A record can point to the IPv4 address designated for hosting, while the remaining DNS records continue to be managed by the previous DNS provider.

Which option makes more sense depends on where you want to manage DNS, your website, email, and other services in the long term.

Change nameservers or just change DNS records? #

Both variants can be technically correct, but they have different implications.

Change nameserver: The DNS authority for the domain is being transferred to a different nameserver infrastructure. The required DNS zone must be fully set up there.

Modify individual DNS records: The previous nameservers will remain responsible. Only selected services will be pointed to other technical destinations.

For example, if you only want to move your website to CURIAWEB, but use complex external DNS and email services, changing individual records might be the easier option depending on the situation.

Can I use the CURIAWEB name servers together with the name servers of my previous provider? #

You should not use this as a method to combine two different DNS configurations.

The authoritative name servers of a domain must provide consistent responses for the zone in question.

A configuration like:

ns1.alter-anbieter.example
ns2.alter-anbieter.example
ns1.curiaweb.ch
ns2.curiaweb.ch

is therefore not suitable for using „both providers for security“ at the same time if they provide different DNS zones.

Important: Do not simply enter name servers from different providers in parallel. All authoritative name servers of a domain must provide a consistent DNS configuration.

How quickly does a nameserver change take effect? #

A nameserver change is not necessarily visible to all users and DNS resolvers at the same time.

DNS information and delegation information can be cached. Therefore, during a transition phase, depending on the DNS resolution used, either the previous or the new configuration may still be visible.

We explain how DNS caching and so-called DNS propagation work at DNS Propagation Explained: Why Changes Can Take Time.

Should I deactivate my old nameservers immediately? #

If you merely change the delegation to other nameservers at a registrar, you are usually not managing the operation of the previous nameservers yourself.

More importantly, during the switch, both the previous and the new DNS configuration should be as consistent as possible.

This reduces the risk of users receiving different or incomplete DNS responses during a transition phase.

How can I check which nameservers my domain is using? #

The nameservers delegated for a domain can be checked via DNS queries.

This allows you to check whether your domain is already using the desired nameservers.

Following a switch to CURIAWEB, the following nameservers should be identifiable as authoritative:

ns1.curiaweb.ch
ns2.curiaweb.ch

We explain how to check the DNS information of a domain at Check DNS records: View current DNS configuration of a domain.

Where do I edit DNS records after changing the nameservers? #

If your domain uses the CURIAWEB nameservers and the DNS zone is managed via your CURIAWEB hosting, you can add the corresponding DNS records in cPanel via the Zone editor view and edit.

You can find our instructions at Using the DNS Zone Editor in cPanel.

Depending on the configuration, A, CNAME, MX, and TXT records can be managed there, for example.

Why is my website not working yet after changing the nameservers? #

If a website is not immediately accessible after a nameserver change, there can be various reasons for this.

Among other things, it should be examined whether:

• the new nameservers have been correctly entered with the registrar
• the domain is set up in the CURIAWEB hosting environment
• the required DNS entries are present
• the domain points to the correct technical destination
• even older DNS information is cached
• the website itself is set up correctly

Changing a nameserver alone does not create a website, nor does it transfer any website files.

Why is my email not working after changing the nameservers? #

If the website works but email does not, you should check the email-related DNS records in particular.

Depending on the configuration, this includes in particular:

• MX records
• the mail server's hostname
• SPF
• DKIM
• DMARC

Different DNS configurations may be required for CURIAWEB email accounts and external email services.

Therefore, do not simply change MX or TXT records on a hunch.

Can I use other nameservers again later? #

Yes. The nameservers of a domain can fundamentally be changed again, provided that the registrar and the respective TLD support this and the new nameservers are set up correctly.

Before every switch, however, it should be ensured again that the required DNS records are present on the new DNS infrastructure.

A nameserver change should therefore always be regarded as the migration of a DNS zone rather than merely the replacement of two text fields.

The CURIAWEB nameservers at a glance #

For CURIAWEB Hosting, the nameservers are:

ns1.curiaweb.ch
ns2.curiaweb.ch

You enter these with your domain registrar if the DNS zone is to be managed via the CURIAWEB nameservers in the future.

Check before switching: Make sure, especially with existing domains, that website, email, and any other required DNS records are correctly present in the new DNS zone. This will help you avoid unnecessary interruptions during the nameserver switch.

Summary #

The CURIAWEB nameservers are ns1.curiaweb.ch and ns2.curiaweb.ch.

If your domain is registered with another registrar, you can enter these name servers there and keep the domain registered with your previous provider. A domain transfer is not required for this.

However, changing the nameserver alters the DNS infrastructure responsible for the domain. Therefore, all required DNS records must be correctly present on the new nameservers—especially records for websites and email.

Nameserver change, domain transfer, and modification of individual DNS records are three distinct processes. Anyone who clearly separates these can connect a domain to a new hosting provider much more securely.