- A Domain Registrar is the entity where you buy or register a domain name (e.g., GoDaddy, Amazon Registrar Inc.).
- Registrars typically provide a built-in DNS service to manage DNS records, but you are not required to use it.
- You can register a domain with one provider and manage its DNS records with another.
- Example: purchase a domain from GoDaddy but use Amazon Route 53 as the DNS service.
Example: GoDaddy as Registrar & Route 53 as DNS Service
Scenario
- Domain is registered with GoDaddy (Domain Registrar).
- DNS is managed by Amazon Route 53 (Public Hosted Zone).
- In GoDaddy, the DNS section will indicate that DNS information is unavailable when using custom nameservers.
- Nameservers are updated in GoDaddy to point to the ones provided by Route 53.
Nameserver example:
ns-252.awsdns-31.com
ns-1468.awsdns-55.org
ns-633.awsdns-15.net
ns-1800.awsdns-33.co.uk
How It Works
- In Route 53, create a Public Hosted Zone for your domain.
- Route 53 generates four authoritative nameservers.
- In GoDaddy (or your registrar), replace the default nameservers with those from Route 53.
- After DNS propagation, Route 53 fully manages the domain’s DNS records.
Using a Third-Party Registrar with Amazon Route 53
- The registrar is responsible for domain ownership and renewal.
- Route 53 acts as the authoritative DNS service once its nameservers are configured.
Steps:
- Create a Hosted Zone in Route 53.
- Update the registrar’s NS records to the Route 53 nameservers.
Key Points:
- Domain Registrar ≠ DNS Service — they are separate roles.
- Many registrars include basic DNS services by default, but using Route 53 provides AWS integration, advanced routing policies, and alias records.