INTERNAL GUIDE

Domain Setup
Paint by Numbers

How to connect athio.ai, align360.io, and any future domain to NowPage — with every 2nd-order effect mapped

First: Understand the 3 Layers

DNS confusion comes from conflating three separate systems. Here's what each one does.

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1. Domain Registrar

Analogy: The deed office

Where you bought the domain (GoDaddy, Namecheap). Controls nameservers — who answers "where does athio.ai live?" This is the ONLY thing that matters at the registrar level.

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2. DNS Provider

Analogy: The phone directory

Manages DNS records (A, CNAME, MX). Could be the registrar itself, Hostinger, or Cloudflare (recommended). Whoever the nameservers point to IS your DNS provider.

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3. Web Hosting

Analogy: The actual building

Where your files/apps live (Hostinger, Vercel). Changing DNS does NOT delete files on Hostinger. You always access Hostinger via hpanel.hostinger.com — that's login-based, not domain-based.

2nd Order Effect
Separating these layers means you can mix-and-match: buy on GoDaddy, DNS on Cloudflare, host on Vercel. Each piece is independent. Changing one doesn't destroy the others.

Current Domain Status

Domain Registrar Current DNS Current Hosting Status
ideas.asapai.net - Cloudflare Vercel (NowPage) Working
athio.ai GoDaddy Hostinger Hostinger Pending
align360.io Namecheap Hostinger Hostinger Pending
Why asapai.net Shows "Pending DNS" but Works
asapai.net routes through Cloudflare's proxy (orange cloud). NowPage's DNS verifier sees Cloudflare's IPs instead of Vercel's, so it reports "Pending." But Cloudflare is correctly proxying to Vercel behind the scenes. This is cosmetic — ignore it.

Decision: Do You Need Hostinger?

Before changing DNS, figure out what you'll lose (if anything).

Do you have a live website on Hostinger for this domain?
YES — Active Site

You can keep it on a subdomain:
old.athio.ai or legacy.athio.ai

In Cloudflare: CNAME old → Hostinger IP
NO — Nothing Important

Safe to point the whole domain to Vercel. Hostinger hosting stays intact but just won't be reachable via the domain.

Proceed to Step-by-Step below
Do you have email on Hostinger for this domain? (e.g., jason@athio.ai)
YES — Email Active

You MUST add MX records in Cloudflare pointing to Hostinger's mail servers.

MX @ → mx1.hostinger.com (priority 5)
MX @ → mx2.hostinger.com (priority 10)
NO — No Email

No MX records needed. Clean setup.

Skip MX records entirely
2nd Order Effect — Email
If you have email on Hostinger and forget to add MX records in Cloudflare, email will stop working immediately after nameserver change. Always check for active email BEFORE changing nameservers.

Setup: athio.ai

Phase 1 — Add Domain to Cloudflare

FREE PLAN
1

Log into Cloudflare

Go to: dash.cloudflare.com

Use the same Cloudflare account that manages asapai.net.

2

Click "Add a Site"

Enter athio.ai and select the Free plan.

2nd Order Effect
Cloudflare will scan existing DNS records and import them. Review what it finds — it usually catches most records from Hostinger automatically.
3

Cloudflare Gives You 2 Nameservers

They'll look something like:

anna.ns.cloudflare.com
rick.ns.cloudflare.com

Write these down or keep the tab open. You'll need them in the next phase.

4

Set Up DNS Records in Cloudflare

Before changing nameservers, add these records in Cloudflare's DNS tab:

A @ 76.76.21.21 # Root domain → Vercel
CNAME www cname.vercel-dns.com # www subdomain → Vercel
CNAME * cname.vercel-dns.com # Wildcard — ALL subdomains → Vercel

The wildcard * record is critical — it means any subdomain you create in the NowPage dashboard (design.athio.ai, blog.athio.ai, etc.) will automatically resolve. Without it, each subdomain needs a separate DNS record.

Set proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud) or Proxied (orange cloud) — both work. Proxied gives you Cloudflare's CDN + DDoS protection.

2nd Order Effect — Proxy Mode
If you use Proxied (orange cloud), NowPage's "Verify DNS" may show "Pending" (same as asapai.net) because it sees Cloudflare's IP instead of Vercel's. The domain will still work. If you want the green checkmark, use DNS-only (grey cloud).
5

If You Have Email: Add MX Records

Check Hostinger's current MX records and replicate them in Cloudflare. Typical Hostinger MX:

MX @ mx1.hostinger.com # Priority: 5
MX @ mx2.hostinger.com # Priority: 10

Skip this if you don't use email on athio.ai.

Phase 2 — Change Nameservers at GoDaddy

GODADDY
6

Log into GoDaddy

Go to: dcc.godaddy.com/domains

Click on athio.ai to open its settings.

7

Find "Nameservers" Section

Scroll down to Nameservers. Click "Change" or the edit icon. They'll currently show Hostinger's nameservers (like ns1.dns-parking.com or ns1.hostinger.com).

8

Select "Custom" and Enter Cloudflare's Nameservers

Choose "I'll use my own nameservers" or "Custom". Enter the two Cloudflare nameservers from Step 3:

anna.ns.cloudflare.com # (your actual values will differ)
rick.ns.cloudflare.com

Click Save.

2nd Order Effect — Propagation Window
Nameserver changes take 1-48 hours to propagate globally (usually 1-4 hours). During this window, some visitors see the old site and some see the new. Email may be disrupted if MX records aren't set up in Cloudflare yet.
2nd Order Effect — Hostinger DNS Panel Becomes Irrelevant
Once nameservers point to Cloudflare, any DNS records you set in Hostinger's panel are completely ignored. All DNS management now happens in Cloudflare. Hostinger's DNS zone editor is effectively dead for this domain.
2nd Order Effect — Hostinger Hosting Still Works
Your Hostinger control panel, files, databases, and FTP are completely unaffected. You can still log into hpanel.hostinger.com and manage everything. The hosting server doesn't care about nameservers — it's a separate system.
9

Verify in Cloudflare

Go back to Cloudflare. It may take a few minutes to detect the nameserver change. Once it does, athio.ai will show as "Active" in your Cloudflare dashboard.

10

Verify in NowPage

Go to the NowPage dashboard and click "Verify DNS" for athio.ai. If using grey cloud (DNS only), it should turn green. If using orange cloud (proxied), it may stay "Pending" — but the domain will work.

2nd Order Effect — Instant Pages
Once DNS resolves, any page in NowPage's database for the athio.ai domain is immediately live — no deploy needed. The catch-all route handles everything.

Setup: align360.io

Phase 1 — Add Domain to Cloudflare

SAME AS ABOVE
1

Repeat Steps 1-5 from athio.ai setup

Add align360.io to Cloudflare (same account). Add the same DNS records:

A @ 76.76.21.21 # Root → Vercel
CNAME www cname.vercel-dns.com # www → Vercel
CNAME * cname.vercel-dns.com # Wildcard — design.align360.io, etc.

The wildcard record enables all future subdomains (design.align360.io, blog.align360.io, etc.) without needing separate DNS entries for each one.

Cloudflare will give you a different pair of nameservers for this domain. Note them down.

Phase 2 — Change Nameservers at Namecheap

NAMECHEAP
2

Log into Namecheap

Go to: ap.www.namecheap.com/domains/list

Find align360.io and click "Manage".

3

Change Nameservers

Under the "Nameservers" dropdown, change from "Namecheap BasicDNS" (or "Custom DNS" pointing to Hostinger) to "Custom DNS".

Enter Cloudflare's nameservers for align360.io:

anna.ns.cloudflare.com # your actual values
rick.ns.cloudflare.com

Click the green checkmark to save.

4

Wait for Propagation, then Verify

Same as athio.ai — wait 1-4 hours, confirm Active in Cloudflare, then Verify DNS in NowPage.

Complete 2nd-Order Effects Map

Everything that changes (and doesn't) when you switch nameservers to Cloudflare.

What You Gain
  • Full DNS control — Cloudflare gives you fine-grained control over every subdomain
  • Free CDN + DDoS protection — Cloudflare's global network sits in front of your site
  • SSL auto-provisioned — Cloudflare handles HTTPS certificates automatically
  • Split routing — athio.ai → Vercel, mail.athio.ai → Hostinger, api.athio.ai → anywhere
  • NowPage pages go live instantly — no deployment step, database-driven serving
  • Consistent management — all domains in one Cloudflare dashboard
What Changes
  • Hostinger DNS panel becomes useless — changes there are ignored once nameservers point elsewhere
  • Hostinger site unreachable via domain — visitors to athio.ai see NowPage, not Hostinger
  • NowPage "Verify DNS" may show Pending — cosmetic issue if using Cloudflare proxied mode
  • 1-48 hour transition window — mixed results during DNS propagation
What Could Break (and How to Prevent)
  • Email stops working — PREVENT: Copy MX records to Cloudflare BEFORE changing nameservers
  • Subdomains stop resolving — PREVENT: Cloudflare auto-imports records, but verify all subdomains are listed
  • Old site visitors get errors — PREVENT: Do the switch during low-traffic hours
  • Forgot a subdomain — FIX: Add it in Cloudflare DNS after the fact (instant, no propagation needed)

Accessing Hostinger After the Switch

Your Hostinger hosting is completely independent of DNS. Nothing gets deleted.

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Control Panel

Always accessible at hpanel.hostinger.com with your login credentials. DNS changes don't affect this.

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Files & FTP

All files remain on Hostinger's servers. Access via File Manager in hPanel or FTP using Hostinger's server IP (not the domain name).

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Email

Works as long as MX records point to Hostinger's mail servers. Set these up in Cloudflare before changing nameservers.

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Databases

MySQL/MariaDB databases on Hostinger are untouched. Access them through phpMyAdmin in hPanel or via the server IP.

Key Insight
Think of it this way: changing nameservers is like changing the address on a road sign. It doesn't demolish the building — it just redirects traffic. The building (Hostinger) is still there, fully functional, accessible through the back door (hPanel login).

Adding Any Future Domain

The same pattern works for every domain, regardless of registrar.

  1. □ Add domain to NowPage dashboard (it will show "Pending DNS")
  2. □ Add domain to Cloudflare (free plan) — note the 2 nameservers it gives you
  3. □ In Cloudflare DNS, add A @ → 76.76.21.21, CNAME www → cname.vercel-dns.com, and CNAME * → cname.vercel-dns.com (wildcard for subdomains)
  4. □ If email exists, copy MX records to Cloudflare from current DNS provider
  5. □ At the registrar, change nameservers to Cloudflare's (the ones from step 2)
  6. □ Wait 1-4 hours for propagation
  7. □ Verify domain shows "Active" in Cloudflare
  8. □ Click "Verify DNS" in NowPage dashboard
  9. □ Publish your first page — it's live immediately

Common Questions

Why can't I just add A records at Hostinger?

If your nameservers point to Hostinger, Hostinger's DNS should work. But Hostinger sometimes has conflicts between their hosting setup and custom DNS records. They may override or ignore records that conflict with their hosting configuration. Cloudflare eliminates this by being a pure DNS provider with no hosting opinions.

Do I need to add the domain to Vercel separately?

NowPage handles this automatically when you add a domain in the dashboard. The domain gets registered with the Vercel project. You just need DNS pointing to Vercel's IP.

What if I want subdomains too? (e.g., blog.athio.ai, design.align360.io)

If you added the wildcard CNAME * → cname.vercel-dns.com record (recommended), all subdomains will resolve automatically. Just create the subdomain in the NowPage dashboard — it's instant. No extra DNS records needed per subdomain.

If you didn't add the wildcard, you'll need a separate CNAME for each subdomain (e.g., CNAME design → cname.vercel-dns.com).

Can I go back to Hostinger later?

Yes. Just change the nameservers back to Hostinger's at your registrar. Everything reverts within 1-48 hours. Or keep Cloudflare and just change the A record to point to Hostinger's IP instead of Vercel's.

Why does asapai.net still show "Pending DNS" if it works?

Because it uses Cloudflare's proxy (orange cloud). NowPage's DNS verifier does a lookup and sees Cloudflare's IP (104.x.x.x) instead of Vercel's (76.76.21.21). The page works fine — the status is a cosmetic false-negative in our dashboard.

Should I cancel Hostinger hosting?

Not yet. Keep it active until you've confirmed everything works on NowPage and you've migrated anything you need. Once you're sure there's nothing on Hostinger you need, you can let the hosting expire. The domain registration (at GoDaddy/Namecheap) stays separate — don't confuse hosting renewal with domain renewal.