Everything to do with a domain's registration - who it belongs to, where it points, whether it renews, and whether anyone can move it - is managed in the Fast Hive client area rather than in cPanel. This guide walks through the domain management screen, explains what every option does, and covers the settings worth checking on day one.
- Client area - the domain's registration: renewals, nameservers, WHOIS contacts, registrar lock, EPP codes.
- cPanel - what the hosting account does with a domain: document roots, subdomains, redirects, SSL.
Finding your domains
- Sign in at my.fasthive.com.
- Open Domains → My Domains, or go to My Domains.
- The list shows each Domain, its Next Due date, whether Auto Renew is enabled, and its Status.
- Click Manage Domain beside a domain to open its management screen.
The Actions panel on this page also gives you Renew Domains, Register a New Domain and Transfer in a Domain.
The Overview screen
Opening a domain shows its key facts:
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Status | Active, Pending Transfer, Expired, Cancelled. |
| Registration Date | When it was first registered. |
| Next Due Date | The date to care about. Renewal is required by then. |
| First Payment / Recurring Amount | What you paid, and what it renews at. These often differ - renewal pricing is set by the registry. |
| Payment Method | What auto-renewal will charge. |
An SSL panel below shows whether a valid certificate was detected for the domain, plus its issuer and expiry - a quick way to confirm HTTPS is healthy without leaving the client area.
The management options
Auto Renew
Turns automatic renewal on or off. Leave it on for every domain you intend to keep. With a valid payment method stored, the domain renews without you having to remember anything.
Nameservers
Sets where the domain's DNS is answered. For hosting with us, that is ns1.fasthive.com and ns2.fasthive.com. Changing nameservers moves all DNS - website and email together - so read the dedicated nameservers article before switching if your mail is hosted elsewhere.
Registrar Lock
When enabled, the registry refuses transfer requests for the domain. Keep it on. It is the main protection against domain hijacking, and it costs you nothing until the day you deliberately transfer the domain away, at which point you switch it off for a few minutes.
Contact Information
The WHOIS contact details: registrant, admin, technical and billing.
Addons
Optional extras attached to the registration, such as ID Protection, which replaces your personal details in the public WHOIS record with the registrar's. Worth having on any domain registered to a home address.
Private Nameservers
Registers hostnames like ns1.yourbrand.com against IP addresses - the glue records used for white-label reseller hosting. Most customers never need this; see the reseller private nameservers article if you do.
DNS Management
Edits DNS records at the registrar. Supported record types are A (Address), AAAA (Address), MXE (Mail Easy), MX (Mail), CNAME (Alias), SPF (txt), URL Redirect and URL Frame.
Email Forwarding
Registrar-level forwarding, sending mail for an address on your domain to a mailbox elsewhere - without any mail hosting. Note that changes can take up to an hour to take effect, and that a forwarding record is disabled automatically if the destination address is found to be invalid.
Get EPP Code
Retrieves the authorisation code needed to transfer the domain to another registrar. You only need it when leaving. Treat it like a password.
Worth doing on every domain
- Auto Renew: on.
- Registrar Lock: on.
- Registrant email: current, monitored, and not hosted on the domain itself.
- Payment method: stored and not expiring before the renewal date.
- ID Protection: enabled if the domain is registered to a personal address.
- Nameservers: confirmed correct for wherever the site is actually hosted.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| "This domain is not currently active. Domains cannot be managed unless active." | The domain is expired or cancelled, so nameservers, contacts and most options are unavailable. Renew it first - the options return once it is active again. |
| Nameserver change is rejected | Usually a typo or a trailing space, or the hostnames are not registered at the registry. Check character by character. |
| Contact update will not save | Some registries reject certain characters or require a specific address format. Open a ticket with the exact error and we will apply it at registry level. |
| Domain suspended although it is paid | Almost certainly an unanswered ICANN registrant verification email. Check the registrant address, including spam, and request a fresh verification. |
| "An issue was encountered while retrieving the email forwarders" | The registrar's forwarding service did not respond. Open a ticket with Technical Support quoting the domain. |
| DNS Management edits change nothing | The domain is using Fast Hive nameservers, so cPanel's Zone Editor is authoritative instead. Edit there. |
| EPP code rejected by the new registrar | Codes are case sensitive and can expire. Copy and paste rather than retyping, and request a fresh one if needed. Registrar Lock must also be off. |
| A domain is missing from My Domains | It may be registered elsewhere, or held on a different Fast Hive account. Only domains registered through us appear here. |
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not change nameservers on one of my domains?
Registration management requires an active domain. If it has expired, renew it first.
Do I manage DNS here or in cPanel?
Whichever matches your nameservers. Fast Hive nameservers means cPanel Zone Editor; registrar nameservers means client-area DNS Management. See the dedicated article - it takes one command to check.
Is ID Protection worth it?
If the domain is registered to a personal name and home address, yes - WHOIS is public, and those details attract spam and worse. For a company already listing its address publicly, it matters less.
Can I move a domain between my Fast Hive accounts?
Yes, but it needs verification. Open a ticket with Accounts & Billing from both sides if possible.
Does cancelling my hosting cancel my domain?
No. They are separate services and must be cancelled separately - which also means cancelling hosting will not accidentally lose your domain.
What happens if I let a domain expire deliberately?
It stops resolving, then eventually returns to the open market. If there is any chance you will want it back, renew it - recovery after expiry is expensive and not guaranteed.
