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Vercel + Namecheap stack1 min read

Vercel nameservers vs A records — which to pick.

Two ways to point a domain at Vercel. Nameservers are cleaner; A records are more flexible.

Haojun See
Haojun See

Founder & Director, On The Ground

Updated 6 June 2026

Overview

When you add a custom domain on Vercel, you have two options. Use Vercel's nameservers (full DNS hosting) or keep your existing DNS and add A/CNAME records. Here's the trade-off.

Use Vercel's nameservers if

You have no other services on the domain (no existing email, no other DNS records). This is the cleanest pick for most CW-2 graduates.

Use A records / CNAME if

You have existing email (Google Workspace, Outlook) on the domain. You want to keep DNS management at your registrar. You use Cloudflare for security and want to keep it.

The pragmatic default

Nameservers. You can switch later. Cleaner experience now.

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