Understand what each company actually does.
Owning a domain, connecting DNS, hosting a website, and running email are different jobs. You can use different companies for each. Moving one does not automatically move the others.
The four pieces
- Registrar: where your domain is registered and renewed. GoDaddy and Cloudflare Registrar are examples.
- DNS provider: tells the internet where website and email services live. Cloudflare can manage this even when the registrar is still GoDaddy.
- Website host: serves your site files or application. Hostinger, Cloudflare Pages and other services can fill this role.
- Email provider: separately receives and sends mail using MX and authentication DNS records.
Safety rule: if a domain already has a live website or email, back up and verify its authoritative DNS records before changing nameservers. Never delete records just to make a dashboard look clean.
How to choose a path
Keep the domain at GoDaddy: manage registration and renewals there, and point DNS at another provider if desired.
Use Cloudflare DNS: create a zone, review existing DNS records, update the registrar's nameservers to the exact pair Cloudflare provides, then wait for Active. A registrar transfer is a separate optional step.
Host at Hostinger: use the provider-specific instructions to point the domain to the website. If DNS remains at Cloudflare, a suitable A or CNAME record may be the right connection instead of switching nameservers again.
Official documentation
- Cloudflare: update nameservers
- GoDaddy: change domain nameservers
- Hostinger: point a domain to hosting
Provider navigation and fees change. Verify current instructions before taking irreversible actions or starting a paid transfer.
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