The latest articles on DEV Community by Ihegboro Uchechukwu (@ihegboro_uchechukwu_2ab8b). https://dev.to/ihegboro_uchechukwu_2ab8b https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4218559%2F38f7c360-781e-437b-bb1e-42015e98ba72.png https://dev.to/ihegboro_uchechukwu_2ab8b en Ihegboro Uchechukwu Sat, 31 Oct 2026 07:59:03 +0000 https://dev.to/ihegboro_uchechukwu_2ab8b/how-i-fixed-dns-propagation-failure-when-deploying-nextjs-to-vercel-with-a-custom-domain-34c3 https://dev.to/ihegboro_uchechukwu_2ab8b/how-i-fixed-dns-propagation-failure-when-deploying-nextjs-to-vercel-with-a-custom-domain-34c3 <p>As an IT Specialist managing web deployments, I recently encountered a common but confusing issue when deploying a Next.js application (<code>superspikers.com</code>) to Vercel with a custom domain.</p> <h2> The Problem </h2> <p>After adding the domain to Vercel and updating the nameservers, the site returned:</p> <blockquote> <p><code>vercel-dns-017.com</code>'s server IP address could not be found</p> </blockquote> <p>This is a classic DNS resolution failure.</p> <h2> Root Cause </h2> <ul> <li>The A record and CNAME were not correctly pointing to <code>cname.vercel-dns.com</code>.</li> <li>The domain was using an old DNS template (<code>vercel-dns-017.com</code>) which was no longer active.</li> <li>DNS cache from local ISPs was holding stale records.</li> </ul> <h2> Solution Steps </h2> <ol> <li>In the domain registrar, I removed the old records and added the correct configuration: <ul> <li> <strong>Type:</strong> <code>CNAME</code> | <strong>Name:</strong> <code>www</code> | <strong>Value:</strong> <code>cname.vercel-dns.com</code> </li> <li> <strong>Type:</strong> <code>A</code> | <strong>Name:</strong> <code>@</code> | <strong>Value:</strong> <code>76.76.21.21</code> </li> </ul> </li> <li>In the Vercel dashboard, I navigated to <strong>Settings &gt; Domains</strong> and verified <code>www.superspikers.com</code>.</li> <li>Waited for DNS propagation using <a href="https://dnschecker.org" rel="noopener noreferrer">dnschecker.org</a> to confirm global reach.</li> <li>Cleared local DNS cache and tested with Google DNS (<code>8.8.8.8</code>).</li> </ol> <h2> Lessons Learned </h2> <p>Always verify DNS records with <code>dig</code> or <code>nslookup</code> before assuming a deployment failed. For Next.js projects, also ensure <code>metadataBase</code> is set correctly in your <code>layout.tsx</code> to avoid SEO issues down the road. </p> <p>The site is now live with proper SSL and edge caching!</p> nextjs debugging vercel dns