Setting Up a Custom Domain for Your Hytale Server

Instead of sharing a numeric IP address and port with your players, you can use a custom domain name like play.yourserver.com to make your Hytale server easy to find and remember. This guide walks you through setting up DNS records to point your domain to your Witchly.host Hytale server.

Why Use a Custom Domain

A custom domain offers several advantages:

Memorable address — Players can easily remember and share a domain name instead of an IP and port number
Professional appearance — A custom domain makes your server look established and trustworthy
Flexibility — If your server’s IP address changes, you update the DNS record once and all players continue connecting through the same domain
Branding — Use your community’s name or brand in the server address

Prerequisites

Before setting up a custom domain, you need:

A registered domain name — You can purchase one from registrars like Cloudflare, Namecheap, Porkbun, or Google Domains. Domains typically cost $10-15 per year.
Access to your domain’s DNS settings — This is available through your domain registrar’s control panel.
Your server’s IP address and port — Found in your dashboard on your server’s overview page.

Finding Your Server’s IP Address

Log in to Dashboard
Select your Hytale server
On the overview page, locate your server’s IP address and port number
Note both down — you will need them for DNS configuration

The address will be in the format 123.456.789.0:12345, where the part before the colon is the IP address and the part after is the port.

Setting Up an A Record

An A record points your domain (or subdomain) directly to your server’s IP address.

Log in to your domain registrar’s control panel
Navigate to DNS Management or DNS Settings for your domain
Add a new A Record with the following values:

Field	Value
Type	A
Name/Host	Your chosen subdomain (e.g., `play`, `hytale`, or `@` for the root domain)
Value/Points to	Your server’s IP address (the part before the colon)
TTL	3600 (or Auto)

Examples:

To create play.yourserver.com, set the Name to play
To create hytale.yourserver.com, set the Name to hytale
To use yourserver.com directly, set the Name to @

Setting Up an SRV Record (Optional)

An SRV record lets players connect using just the domain name without specifying a port number. This is useful if your server runs on a non-standard port.

In your domain’s DNS settings, add a new SRV Record:

Field	Value
Type	SRV
Name/Service	`_hytale._tcp.play` (adjust `play` to match your subdomain)
Priority	0
Weight	5
Port	Your server’s port number
Target	Your subdomain (e.g., `play.yourserver.com`)
TTL	3600 (or Auto)

Note: SRV record support depends on the Hytale client. If the client does not support SRV lookups, players will need to enter the port manually. Check the latest Hytale documentation for SRV compatibility.

DNS Propagation

After adding your DNS records, changes need time to propagate across the internet:

Typical propagation time: 5 minutes to 48 hours
Most cases: Changes take effect within 1-2 hours
Check propagation status: Use tools like dnschecker.org to see if your records have propagated globally

During propagation, some players may be able to connect via the domain while others cannot. This is normal and resolves itself once propagation completes.

Connecting with Your Custom Domain

Once DNS propagation is complete, players can connect to your server using the custom domain:

Open Hytale and go to the Multiplayer menu
Click Add Server or Direct Connect
Enter your custom domain (e.g., play.yourserver.com)
If SRV records are not supported or not set up, add the port number (e.g., play.yourserver.com:12345)
Connect and play

Common DNS Configurations

Subdomain pointing to your server:

Type: A
Name: play
Value: 123.456.789.0
TTL: 3600

Players connect with: play.yourserver.com:port

Root domain pointing to your server:

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 123.456.789.0
TTL: 3600

Players connect with: yourserver.com:port

Multiple subdomains for different purposes:

Type: A    Name: play     Value: 123.456.789.0    (Game server)
Type: A    Name: web      Value: 123.456.789.0    (Website)

Using Cloudflare

If you use Cloudflare for DNS management, keep these points in mind:

Set the proxy status to “DNS only” (grey cloud) — Cloudflare’s proxy does not support game server traffic (TCP/UDP). The orange cloud (proxied) will prevent players from connecting.
Cloudflare’s free DNS is fast and reliable, making it a good choice even if you only need DNS without the proxy features.
Cloudflare typically propagates DNS changes within minutes.

Troubleshooting

Domain not resolving:

Verify the DNS records are correctly configured in your registrar’s panel
Wait for DNS propagation (up to 48 hours in rare cases)
Use nslookup yourdomain.com or dnschecker.org to check if the record exists
Ensure there are no typos in your A record’s IP address

Players can’t connect via domain but can via IP:

DNS may not have fully propagated yet — wait and try again
If using Cloudflare, make sure the proxy is set to “DNS only” (grey cloud)
Players may need to include the port number (e.g., play.yourserver.com:12345)

Domain works but shows wrong server:

Verify the IP address in your A record matches your Witchly.host server’s IP
If you recently changed servers, update the A record with the new IP address
Clear your local DNS cache: run ipconfig /flushdns on Windows or sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on macOS

Best Practices

Use a subdomain like play.yourserver.com rather than the root domain, keeping the root available for a website
Choose a short, memorable subdomain — play, mc, hytale, or server are common choices
Keep your TTL reasonable — 3600 seconds (1 hour) is standard. Lower TTLs (300 seconds) are useful if you anticipate changing IPs soon
Document your DNS setup — Keep a record of which DNS records you created and their values for future reference
Monitor your domain — Ensure your domain registration stays active. An expired domain means players lose access to your server address.

Need help configuring your domain? Our team is available on Discord.