Use this guide when you have added a domain to Cedros but the address will not open, shows the wrong website, or stays pending. Work from the symptom you see, change only the setting responsible, and check the result before trying another fix.
If you have not connected the domain yet, start with Connecting a domain you already own. For help entering records at GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace, or another provider, use Setting up a domain with another DNS provider.
Start with the symptom
| What you see | Start here |
|---|---|
| The browser cannot find the address, or Cedros reports a missing or wrong record | Check the DNS provider and records. |
| Cedros says the check is unavailable or the result is unknown | Read the verification result. |
| The previous website appears, or the address works on only some devices | Separate caching from a wrong destination. |
| DNS is correct, but the site times out, shows another site, or has a certificate warning | Check routing and HTTPS. |
| The address redirects somewhere unexpected, or only the root or www address works | Check both addresses and the primary domain. |
| The right Cedros site opens, but a page is missing or visitors see a holding page | Check the published page and visitor access. |
Before changing anything, note the exact failing URL, the error, when you last changed DNS, and whether the domain worked before. Keep a copy of the existing DNS records and the previous website destination. If someone else manages DNS or hosting, involve them before replacing records.
Keep email working. A website repair is not an email migration. Preserve MX records, mail-server addresses, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and other service records unless you have identified a specific problem with them. Do not apply every row from Copy all records just to fix the website.
Find the current status in Cedros
Open the intended site's admin and go to Settings → Site → Domains. Confirm the spelling of the hostname and that you are working on the correct site.
If you see Managed by Cedros Domains
Find the domain under Your domains. Read Pending or Needs attention, the explanation beneath it, and any DNS, Routing, TLS, or Registration details.
- DNS concerns the records that direct the address to its destination.
- Routing concerns whether the hosting service sends requests for that hostname to your site.
- TLS concerns the secure HTTPS connection and certificate.
- Registration concerns the domain purchase or transfer, when applicable.
Use Check setup on a domain that needs attention to load its setup details and any DNS records to add. During the connection walkthrough, Test DNS checks the records and can advance the managed connection when they are ready. Use it after you have prepared the site to receive visitors. A DNS checked message means the check finished; read the resulting status to see whether it succeeded.
If a purchase or transfer is still processing, follow Buying or transferring a domain through Cedros. Submitting a second purchase or detaching and reconnecting the domain is not a routine troubleshooting step.
If you see a Domain card
Check Domain name and Server target, then expand Manual DNS instructions. Compare Website record with the saved record at your provider. Select Check website DNS when you are ready to check that match.
Website DNS verified confirms the website DNS check. It does not confirm HTTPS, email, or that a particular page is published.
If no website record appears, ask your host to confirm the server target. It must be the intended public IP or routing hostname, not the domain pointing back at itself. Domain name and Server target save automatically, so do not change them just to experiment with the generated instructions.
Check the DNS provider and records
Your registrar is the company that manages registration and renewal. Your DNS provider is the company whose nameservers currently answer for the domain; these can be different companies.
- At your registrar, check the domain's current nameservers. Open the DNS editor for the provider they identify. A record saved at an unused DNS provider has no effect on your website.
- Confirm the registration is active. If it has expired or the registrar shows a hold or required verification, resolve that with the registrar or Cedros support before treating it as a record-entry problem.
- Compare the exact hostname with Cedros.
example.com,www.example.com, andshop.example.comare different addresses. Check for a duplicated suffix such aswww.example.com.example.com. - Compare the website record's type and full value. Use the destination from your own Cedros setup. Do not paste
https://, a page path, or an example IP into an A, AAAA, or CNAME value. - Look for old website records at that same name. Check both A and AAAA: an old IPv6 destination can send some visitors to the previous site even when the A record is correct. Replace only records you have confirmed are obsolete; multiple records can be intentional.
- Save any necessary correction at the active provider, reopen the saved record, then return to Cedros and run the relevant check again.
If the provider refuses a record, do not delete the whole zone. CNAME records can conflict with other records at the same name, and root-domain CNAME support differs by provider. Use the manual DNS guide to resolve the specific conflict.
Changing nameservers affects every service using the domain. If you recently moved DNS providers, ask the DNS administrator to confirm that the new zone contains all required records. If lookups fail after that move, have them check the delegation and DNSSEC configuration as well.
Read the verification result
Where Cedros shows Found:, it is reporting the value the check observed. Compare it with the expected record; do not copy the observed value over the intended destination simply to make them agree.
Missing record. Check the active provider, record type, and full name first. Confirm that the provider saved the change. If those are correct and the change is recent, allow earlier cached answers to expire before checking again.
Wrong value. Compare the expected destination with the saved record and Found:. Correct an identified mismatch. If Cloudflare proxying or CNAME flattening is involved, read the next section before changing a working destination.
Conflicting record. Inspect all records at the affected name. Remove or replace only the conflicting record you can identify. A mail-policy conflict needs your mail administrator's attention; it is not a reason to replace otherwise-correct website records.
Propagation pending. Confirm the intended record is saved at the active provider, note the change time, and recheck after its caching period. Repeatedly editing correct records will make it harder to establish which answer visitors should receive.
Unknown, unverified, or DNS check unavailable. Read the accompanying explanation. If public DNS could not be reached, retry the check; that result does not establish that the record is wrong. If Cedros says a provider value must be generated first, finish the relevant setup and obtain the real value before adding it to DNS.
When Cloudflare is involved
A Proxied website record returns Cloudflare addresses publicly instead of your server's address. That can explain a mismatch between a public lookup and the origin value saved in Cloudflare. See Cloudflare's proxy-status guide.
Check the record's saved Content and Proxy status in the correct Cloudflare zone. Ask your host or Cedros support to confirm the intended configuration if the website works but verification disagrees. Do not disable proxying solely to make the public answer look like the server target.
CNAME flattening can also return IP addresses in place of the CNAME target. This is particularly relevant at the root domain; see Cloudflare's explanation of CNAME flattening.
If Cedros cannot connect to Cloudflare or update records, follow Connecting Cloudflare to manage your DNS. Check the selected zone, token expiry, and required permissions. A connection or update error can leave some records applied and others unfinished; inspect the saved records before retrying.
Separate caching from a wrong destination
First confirm that the active provider has the correct saved records. Waiting will not fix a record saved in the wrong zone or pointed at the wrong server.
Then compare the same exact HTTPS URL in a private browser window and, if available, on another device using a different network. For example, compare your computer on Wi-Fi with your phone on mobile data. Record which one shows the old site or fails.
Private browsing can help isolate browser state, but it does not guarantee fresh DNS. A different network can use a different DNS cache. TTL describes how long an answer may be cached; a previously cached answer can remain until its earlier TTL expires. Follow your provider's timing guidance rather than treating a new TTL as a countdown. See Cloudflare's TTL reference.
If only page content is old while the address reaches the correct site, check the published revision and any website cache with your site administrator. DNS changes do not publish your latest page edits.
If the records have been correct beyond the provider's expected update window, contact the DNS provider or Cedros support with the saved and observed values. Include the failing networks and times instead of continuing to change the destination.
Check routing and HTTPS
DNS can point at the intended server while that server still lacks the configuration to serve your hostname.
Another website or a parking page appears. Recheck the DNS destination. If it is correct, have the host confirm that the exact hostname is assigned to your Cedros site. For a managed site, report the domain and the unexpected destination to Cedros support.
The connection times out or is refused. Check whether another known working address for the same site opens. If the DNS destination is correct, ask the host or Cedros support to inspect the site's availability and routing. Include the browser's exact message and whether the problem affects one hostname or all of them.
A certificate warning appears, or TLS still needs attention. Check the exact hostname in the error, including www. Resolve any remaining DNS or managed setup issue, then ask the host to check certificate readiness and coverage for that name. Follow Fixing HTTPS and certificate problems. Do not bypass the browser warning or send customers an insecure alternative as the fix.
A Cloudflare error page appears. Record the error number, hostname, time, and Ray ID if shown. Send those details to your host or Cedros support. A Cloudflare error is not, by itself, an instruction to change nameservers or replace DNS records.
Check both addresses and the primary domain
Test https://example.com and https://www.example.com separately, using your own domain. Each address you intend to serve needs working DNS and HTTPS, even when one redirects to the other.
On a managed site, active alternate domains redirect to the primary domain. A newly connected address taking you to the existing primary can be expected behavior. Check the Primary badge before assuming the redirect is a fault.
To make the new address the main one, follow Choosing or changing your primary domain after setup is complete. In the usual managed root-domain setup, both the root and its www alias must be HTTPS-ready.
If the browser reports too many redirects or sends you to an unrelated address, ask whoever manages hosting and Cloudflare to inspect the redirect rules. For independently hosted Cedros sites, the host also needs to configure the redirects. A CNAME alone does not create a browser redirect.
Check the published page and visitor access
If the right site's homepage opens securely but one page returns “not found,” check that page's exact route and published status in Cedros. A preview link working does not prove the normal public address is published. Use Understanding drafts, previews, and publishing.
If visitors see a holding page, maintenance screen, or sign-in request, follow Controlling when your site is public and review the page's access requirements. Check again while signed out or with the intended customer account. Change those settings only when you intend to change who can view the site.
These symptoms can occur with fully working DNS. Correct the page or access setting responsible instead of changing the domain's destination.
Confirm the fix or ask for help
After a correction:
- Reopen Cedros and confirm the intended domain and setup result. If the check failed to load, retry it before relying on an old result.
- Open the exact HTTPS address as a visitor. Confirm the correct site loads without a certificate warning.
- Test the root address,
www, and any alternate address you intend to keep. Confirm each reaches the expected primary domain and page. - Open an important published page and follow its main link or customer action. If the domain also handles email, confirm existing mail still sends and receives.
For an unresolved issue, use Getting help and reporting a problem. Include:
- The exact failing URL, intended site, and whether it worked before.
- Your registrar and active DNS provider, plus the time and nature of the last change.
- The website record's type, full name, expected value, and saved or observed value.
- Cedros's setup status and the exact browser or provider error.
- Whether the problem affects the root domain,
www, a particular page, or only some networks.
Crop screenshots to the relevant error or website records. Do not send registrar passwords, Cloudflare tokens, private preview links, or unrelated account information.