How to Connect a .LY Domain to Cloudflare

Contents

To connect a .LY domain to Cloudflare, add the domain to Cloudflare, verify every required DNS record, coordinate DNSSEC, and then replace the domain’s authoritative nameservers in Register.ly with the exact pair assigned by Cloudflare.

Changing nameservers moves authoritative DNS management. It does not move your domain registration, website files, mailboxes or hosting account.

Before you begin

Make sure the .LY domain is active in the Register.ly Client Area.
Confirm where DNS is currently hosted.
Record the current nameservers.
Export or copy all current DNS records.
Identify website, email, verification and service records that must continue working.
Check whether DNSSEC is enabled.
Avoid making the change during a critical launch or maintenance window.

Pay particular attention to A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, CAA and SRV records. Cloudflare’s automatic scan may not find every record, especially custom hostnames and email-authentication records.

1. Add the domain to Cloudflare

Sign in to the Cloudflare dashboard.
Select the option to add or onboard a domain.
Enter the apex domain, such as example.ly, without www, https:// or a page path.
Choose the appropriate Cloudflare plan.
Allow Cloudflare to scan for existing DNS records.

Do not change nameservers yet.

2. Review the DNS records in Cloudflare

Compare Cloudflare’s imported records with the records at your current DNS provider.

Service	Records commonly required
Website	A, AAAA or CNAME records for the root domain and `www`
Email delivery	MX records and any mail-host A/CNAME records
Email authentication	SPF, DKIM and DMARC TXT/CNAME records supplied by the mail provider
Domain verification	Provider-specific TXT or CNAME records
Other services	CAA, SRV and custom subdomain records where used

Add any missing record manually. Confirm the record name, target, priority and proxy setting. Mail-related records are normally DNS-only unless the provider explicitly supports another configuration.

3. Coordinate DNSSEC

NIC.LY supports DNSSEC, but existing DS information must match the DNS provider that signs the zone.

If DNSSEC is active before the move, follow the approved Register.ly and Cloudflare sequence before changing nameservers. Cloudflare warns that replacing nameservers while an old DS record remains at the registrar can make the domain unreachable.

Do not copy an old DNSSEC key or DS record into the new setup. The required values must come from the DNS operator that signs the active Cloudflare zone.

4. Get the Cloudflare nameservers

Cloudflare assigns two authoritative nameservers during onboarding. Copy both names exactly as shown. Do not substitute nameservers from another Cloudflare domain or add an extra provider’s nameserver.

5. Change the nameservers in Register.ly

Sign in to the Register.ly Client Area.
Open Domains and select My Domains.
Choose the .LY domain.
Open the Nameservers control.
Replace the existing nameservers with the two values assigned by Cloudflare.
Review the spelling and save the change.

For general Client Area guidance, see Update the nameserver for a domain name.

6. Verify activation and services

Wait for Cloudflare to report that the domain is Active. Then verify:

The authoritative nameservers match the Cloudflare pair.
The root domain and www load the correct website.
Important subdomains resolve.
Incoming and outgoing email work.
Verification and third-party services still pass their checks.
No stale DS record causes DNSSEC validation failures.

DNS caches update over time. Use the current status shown by Register.ly, Cloudflare and authoritative DNS lookups rather than repeatedly changing the nameservers.

7. Enable DNSSEC after the move

After Cloudflare is authoritative and the domain resolves correctly, enable DNSSEC in Cloudflare. Use the DS information Cloudflare provides and follow Register.ly’s supported .LY DNSSEC process.

See How do I set up DNSSEC for a .LY domain?. Confirm the final DS record before considering the migration complete.

Troubleshooting

Cloudflare remains on Pending Nameserver Update

Confirm that Register.ly contains only the exact nameservers assigned to this Cloudflare zone. Check for spelling errors, old nameservers and an existing DS record.

The website stopped loading

Compare the Cloudflare A, AAAA and CNAME records with the previous DNS zone. Also review whether the record should be proxied or DNS-only.

The website works but email does not

Review MX records, mail-host records and SPF/DKIM/DMARC values. Cloudflare’s scan may not have imported every custom email record.

DNSSEC validation fails

Do not keep changing unrelated DNS records. Check whether the parent DS record matches the keys currently published by Cloudflare, and contact Register.ly support if the DS control is unavailable.

Roll back safely

If a critical service cannot be restored, retain a copy of the Cloudflare zone and contact the relevant DNS/hosting provider. Before reverting nameservers, coordinate DNSSEC and confirm that the former DNS provider still serves a complete, current zone. A nameserver rollback with stale or missing records can prolong the outage.