Domains
Domains overview
What the Domains area in Expanse Panel is for, and how registered domains differ from external DNS zones.
Domains overview
In Expanse Panel, open Domains in the sidebar (you will land on Networking). From here your team manages domain names and DNS in one place.
What you can do
- Register a new domain or transfer one you already own from another company.
- Add an external zone when the domain is registered elsewhere but you want Expanse to answer DNS.
- Edit DNS records, turn on DNSSEC, watch DNS change history, run DNS health checks, and adjust zone settings.
- Maintain registrant contacts (the legal identity shown for your domains at the registry).
Registered domains vs external zones
| Registered (registration or transfer) | External zone | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Expanse handles registration or incoming transfer; you get a domain service in the panel. | Only DNS is hosted here; registration stays with your current registrar. |
| List label | Shown as Registered with type Registration or Transfer. | Shown as External. |
| DNS | Managed in the panel after the domain is active. | Managed in the panel once you add the zone and point nameservers to Expanse. |
| Registrant contact | Required for orders; verification may be required before DNS edits (see registrant contacts help). | Not tied to a domain order in the same way; DNS is not blocked for missing registrant verification on external-only zones. |
If you are not sure which you need: use registration or transfer when you want Expanse to be your registrar. Use external zone when you already own the domain elsewhere and only want Expanse DNS.
Permissions
Some actions need a team role that is allowed to change networking. If a button is unavailable, ask a team owner or admin to grant access or perform the action for you.