Setup guide

This guide will walk you through the setup process for your hosting account, including how to configure your domain, email, databases, and backups through the Hestia control panel.

Step 1: Purchase Your Domain

ExaTech believes in the freedom of choice. Most people have already purchased a domain and are looking for a hosting service; therefore, we have chosen not to engage in domain registration and instead focus directly on website and email services. To get started, you need to purchase a domain from a registrar of your choice (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.). After purchasing your domain, or if you already have one, you will need to point the domain to our servers through your registrar.

Step 2: Point Your Domain to Our Server

Once you have purchased your domain, you need to update its DNS records to point to our servers. This is done at the domain registrar level. Almost all domain registrars allow you to add DNS (Domain Name System) records. Please consult your domain registrar for assistance in this regard. Two important details to remember are: 89.240.15.30 and server.exatech.net

Here’s how to do that:

Log in to your domain registrar’s control panel (the site where you purchased your domain).

Find the DNS settings or Nameservers section.

Add the following DNS records to your domain’s DNS zone:

A Record:

Type: A

Name: *

IP: 89.240.15.30

MX Record (Mail Exchange):

Host: @

Value: server.exatech.net

Priority: 10

SPF Record (Sender Policy Framework):

Type: TXT

Host: @

Value: v=spf1 a mx ip4:89.240.15.30 ~all

DKIM Record
Optional, but recommended for better deliverability:

This step is done after you have added the domain in the hestia control panel (see step 3).

Type: TXT

Host: default._domainkey

Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=(The public key can be generated within your Hestia panel under "Mail Settings" or "Email Configuration.")

Save the changes. DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to up to 48 hours. During this time, your domain will gradually start pointing to our server.

Step 3: Set Up Your Hestia Account

After you complete your payment, our system will create your Hestia hosting account. You will receive an email with your username and password for logging into the Hestia control panel.

Log in to the Hestia Control Panel

Enter your username and password from the email you received to access the control panel.

Add Your Domain in Hestia

Once your account is set up, you need to add your domain to Hestia in order to host your website.

Go to the "Web" section.

Click "Add Domain".

Enter your domain name (e.g., yourdomain.com).

Choose the IP address you want to assign it to (usually your server's main IP).

Click "Save" to add your domain to the Hestia control panel.

This will allow you to host files for your website under your domain.

Now you can access your website files through FTP using an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla) by entering the following details:

FTP Server: ftp.yourdomain.com or the server IP.

Username: Same username to log into your hestia account.

Password: Same password to log into your hestia account.

Upload your website.

Step 4: Configure Your Email

Hestia provides a complete email solution. After your account is set up, you can create email addresses for your domain.

Step 4.1: Create an Email Account

Log in to the Hestia control panel.

Go to the "Mail" section.

Click on "Add Account".

Enter the desired email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com) and set a strong password.

Click “Save” to create the email account.

Step 4.2: Update DNS Records for Email

To ensure that your email works properly, you need to configure DNS records specifically for email. You will need to update these records in the DNS settings at your domain registrar.

Step 4.3: Configure Email Clients

To access your email, you can use an email client like Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, or Apple Mail. The general settings are:

Incoming Mail Server (IMAP/POP3):

IMAP: server.exatech.net (port 993 for IMAP, SSL enabled)

POP3: server.exatech.net (port 995 for POP3, SSL enabled)

Webmail: mail.yourdomain.dom or webmail.yourdomain.dom (RoundCube)

Step 5: Set Up Databases

Hestia allows you to easily manage databases for your website or application.

Log in to the Hestia control panel.

Go to the "Databases" section.

Click on "Add Database" to create a new database.

Enter a name for the database and create a database user with a secure password.

Click “Save” to create the database.

Once your database is created, you can use it to store data for your website or application.

Step 6: Set Up Backups

Hestia provides a simple way to back up your website files and databases.

Log in to Hestia.

Go to the "Backup" section.

Set up a backup schedule (e.g., daily, weekly, etc.) to automatically back up your data.

Choose what to back up (website files, databases, emails, etc.).

Save your backup settings.

You can also manually create a backup by clicking on the “Create Backup” button.

Step 7: Test Your Setup

Test your website by navigating to your domain (e.g., https://www.yourdomain.com). If your website is not yet live, you may see a default page or a maintenance page.

Test your email by sending and receiving emails using the configured email accounts.

Test your database by connecting to it using a database management tool like phpMyAdmin, or via your application.

Additional Help and Support

If you encounter any issues or need assistance during setup, our support team is here to help. You can reach us via:

Support Email: info@exatech.net