Point your domain to a Lightsail instance
Last updated: November 1, 2022
You can use the DNS zone in Amazon Lightsail to point a registered domain name, like example.com, to your website running on a Lightsail instance, also known as a virtual private server (VPS). You can create up to six DNS zones in you Lightsail account. Not all DNS record types are supported. For more information about Lightsail DNS zones, see DNS in Amazon Lightsail.
If you expect to create more than six DNS zones or use DNS record types that aren’t supported in Lightsail, we recommend using an Amazon Route 53 hosted zone. With Route 53, you can manage the DNS for up to 500 domains. It also supports a greater variety of DNS record types. For more information, see Working with hosted zones in the Amazon Route 53 Developer Guide.
This guide shows you how to edit the DNS records for a domain managed in Lightsail so that it points to your Lightsail instance. Allow up to 48 hours for any DNS zone changes to propagate through the internet's DNS.
Prerequisites
Complete the following prerequisites if you haven’t already done so:
Register a domain name using Lightsail. For more information, see Registering a new domain in Amazon Lightsail.
If you already registered a domain but you’re not using Lightsail to manage its records, then you must transfer management of the DNS records for your domain to Lightsail. For more information, see Creating a DNS zone to manage your domain’s DNS records in Amazon Lightsail.
The default dynamic public IP address attached to your Lightsail instance changes every time you stop and restart the instance. Create a static IP and attach it to your instance to keep the public IP address from changing. In this guide, you create a DNS record in your domain’s DNS zone that resolves to the static IP address so you don’t have to update your domain’s DNS records every time you stop and restart your instance. For more information, see Create a static IP and attach it to an instance in Amazon Lightsail.
Optional–You can leave IPv6 enabled for your Lightsail instance. The IPV6 address persists when you stop and start your instance. For more information, see Enabling and disabling IPv6 for your resources in Amazon Lightsail.
Assign a domain to a Lightsail instance
Use one of the following methods to assign a domain to an instance in Lightsail:
Instance domains tab
Complete the following procedure to assign your domain to a Lightsail instance in the instance Domains tab of the Lightsail console.
To assign your domain by using the instance Domains tab
Sign in to the Lightsail console.
Choose the instance name that you want to assign the domain to.
Choose Assign domain in the Domains tab.
Select the domain that you want to assign to your Lightsail instance.
Verify that the routing information is correct, and then choose Assign.
Optional
To edit or remove your domain assignment from the instance, choose the edit icon or the waste bin icon next to the domain name.
Static IP domains tab
Complete the following procedure to assign your domain to a Lightsail instance in the static IP Domains tab of the Lightsail console.
To assign your domain by using the static IP Domains tab
Sign in to the Lightsail console.
Choose the Networking tab.
Choose the static IP that you want to assign the domain to.
Choose Assign domain in the Domains tab.
Select the domain that you want to assign to your static IP.
Verify that the routing information is correct, and then choose Assign.
Optional
To edit or remove your domain assignment from the static IP, choose the edit icon or the waste bin icon next to the domain name.
DNS zone assignments tab
Complete the following procedure to assign your domain to a Lightsail instance in the Assignments tab of the DNS zone.
To assign your domain by using the Assignments tab
Sign in to the Lightsail console.
Choose the Domains & DNS tab.
Choose the DNS zone for the domain name that you want to use.
Choose Add assignment in the Assignments tab.
Select the domain name that you want to assign to your Lightsail instance. If a static IP isn’t already attached to the instance, you are prompted to attach one.
Verify that the routing information is correct, and then choose Assign.
Optional
To edit or remove your domain assignment from the resource, choose the edit icon or the waste bin icon next to the domain name.
Additional information about domains
The following articles can help you manage domains in Lightsail: