Authoritative nameservers

The authoritative nameservers answer the DNS queries for your domain. By default those are the regfish nameservers, and the zone is maintained in the dash. If you want to run the zone elsewhere, this is where you delegate to your own servers.

Where to find it

Domains → your domain → DNS → Authoritative NS, direct address: dash.regfish.com/my/domains/<tld>/<sld>/auth

Switching to your own nameservers

The Use custom nameservers switch registers your servers at the registry once applied. From then on they answer for the zone, regfish no longer does.

The page names the consequences itself, and they are bigger than the switch looks:

• The web interface is restricted. The DNS records in the dash no longer take effect outside; the zone is maintained on your servers.
• Forwarders for web and email require regfish nameservers and are unavailable.
• DNSSEC is signed by regfish only for zones on its own servers; on foreign nameservers, signing is yours to do.

Back to the regfish nameservers

The way back is the same switch: turn Use custom nameservers off, confirm the notices and apply. The regfish nameservers then answer for the zone again, and the DNS records maintained in the dash take effect.

If regfish does not hold a zone for the domain yet, for example because it was registered with external nameservers, the switch creates it, but only with the regfish NS records. Website and email work again only once the remaining records are at regfish. So prepare them before the switch: under DNS records, create the zone with Create zone and add the records, or import the zone file from your previous provider. If no records exist yet, the page warns you before you apply.

If DNSSEC is active at your previous provider, turn it off first; otherwise validating resolvers reject the domain after the switch. If the TLD charges a fee for a nameserver change, the page names it before you apply.

Not the same: hidden primary

If you want to maintain the zone yourself but keep the regfish infrastructure facing the world, you do not need delegation but a hidden primary: there the regfish nameservers stay in charge and fetch the zone from your server.

Automating this

Reading and changing the delegation exist as endpoints. Through the API you switch to a vanity set, or with vanity_set_id: null back to the regfish nameservers, also from external nameservers, as long as the TLD charges no fee for the change. If the zone is missing, it is created with the regfish NS records; add the remaining records right after with POST /dns/rr. Nameservers can also be switched and reverted through the MCP server.