Set Up a .com.np Domain with Cloud Hosting

By Kokil Thapa | Last reviewed: September 2026

You need to set up a .com.np domain with cloud hosting when a shared cPanel account no longer fits your traffic, uptime, or deployment workflow. A .com.np address signals a registered Nepal business to local customers. Cloud VPS or compute gives you root access, predictable scaling, and room for Git-based deploys. This guide walks through registration, DNS, SSL, and the server side so your site actually loads on production.

What do you need before you set up a .com.np domain with cloud hosting?

Start with documents and a clear hosting choice. Mercantile Communications manages Nepal's .np namespace. You will need a valid PAN or company registration for commercial domains. Gather scanned copies before you apply. For a detailed walkthrough of registration rules, see the domain registration guide for Nepal.

On the hosting side, pick a cloud provider and region first. Latency from Singapore or Mumbai usually beats US East for Kathmandu users. If you are still deciding between .com.np and plain .np, read .com.np vs .np domain comparison before you commit.

You also need a static public IPv4 address on your cloud instance. Most providers assign one at creation. Write it down. You will paste it into Mercantile DNS or your registrar panel within minutes of provisioning the server.

Document checklist

• PAN card or company registration certificate (PDF, under 2 MB)
• Authorization letter if someone else registers on your behalf
• Cloud account with billing configured (card or prepaid credits)
• SSH key pair generated locally before you create the VPS
• Backup plan for the current site if you are migrating

How do you register a .com.np domain through Mercantile?

Mercantile operates the official .np registry. Registration is free for eligible applicants, but approval is manual. Expect one to five business days. Apply at the Mercantile portal with your PAN and a chosen domain name. If you prefer hands-off handling, our domain registration and hosting service in Nepal covers Mercantile paperwork and initial DNS setup.

Search your desired name first. Common law-firm and trade names get taken quickly. I've seen clients lose a week because they picked a name before checking availability. Register early even if the cloud server is not ready yet. DNS can point nowhere until you provision the VPS.

Registration steps

1. Visit the Mercantile Communications domain portal and search for your .com.np name.
2. Upload PAN or company registration and fill the application form accurately.
3. Wait for approval email; Mercantile sends login credentials for DNS management.
4. Log in to the Mercantile DNS panel but do not publish records until the cloud IP exists.
5. Keep renewal reminders on your calendar; .np domains still need periodic confirmation.

Official registry rules live on the Mercantile .np registration portal. That page is the authoritative source for eligibility and document requirements.

Which cloud hosting provider works best for a .com.np site?

No single provider wins every project. Budget, stack, and ops skill matter more than brand. For Laravel apps I deploy on Ubuntu 24 with PHP 8.3 or 8.4 and Nginx. WordPress and WooCommerce 11.1 run fine on the same stack. Compare providers before you buy.

For deeper comparisons, read AWS vs DigitalOcean vs Hetzner for Laravel hosting and best VPS and cloud hosting options for Nepali businesses. Region choice affects Time to First Byte more than most theme tweaks. See choosing a cloud region for Nepal users before you click deploy.

If you are moving off shared hosting, plan the cutover with migrating from shared hosting to the cloud. Shared plans hide DNS complexity. Cloud exposes every layer.

How do you point a .com.np domain to your cloud server?

DNS is where most first-time setups stall. Mercantile gives you a control panel for your .com.np zone. You have two patterns: use Mercantile nameservers with A records, or delegate to Cloudflare for free CDN and DDoS protection.

For a straightforward VPS setup, create an A record pointing yourbusiness.com.np to your cloud IPv4. Add a second A record for www or use a CNAME if your provider supports it on the apex. TTL of 300 seconds (five minutes) speeds up testing. Raise it to 3600 after go-live.

Sample Mercantile DNS records

Type    Host    Value               TTL
A       @       203.0.113.45        300
A       www     203.0.113.45        300
AAAA    @       2001:db8::1         300   (optional IPv6)
MX      @       mail.provider.com   3600  (if using external email)
TXT     @       v=spf1 ...          3600  (for email deliverability)

Propagation usually takes 15 minutes to 48 hours. Check with dig yourbusiness.com.np +short from your laptop. Online DNS checkers help when local caches lie. Do not delete old records until the new IP resolves correctly worldwide.

Email is a common trap. If you use Google Workspace or a local provider, copy existing MX and SPF records before you change anything. I've fixed broken mail on law-firm sites where someone wiped MX rows during a hosting move. Document every record first.

For Nginx virtual host configuration after DNS resolves, follow setting up a reverse proxy with Nginx. That article covers upstream PHP-FPM sockets and HTTPS redirects.

How do you configure the cloud server and install SSL?

Provision Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on your chosen provider. Attach your SSH key at creation time. Password-only root login is a bad idea on a public IP. Harden the box before you point production DNS.

Initial server setup

1. SSH in: ssh root@203.0.113.45
2. Create a deploy user and disable root SSH login.
3. Enable UFW: allow 22, 80, 443; deny everything else.
4. Install Nginx, PHP 8.3 FPM, MySQL 9.7 or MariaDB 12.3, Redis 8.10 if needed.
5. Clone your app or upload files; set storage/ permissions for Laravel.
6. Configure Nginx server block with server_name yourbusiness.com.np www.yourbusiness.com.np;
7. Issue SSL with Certbot using the webroot or Nginx plugin.
8. Test HTTPS, force redirect from HTTP, and reload Nginx.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourbusiness.com.np -d www.yourbusiness.com.np
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

Let's Encrypt certificates renew automatically via systemd timer. Confirm with sudo certbot renew --dry-run. Official docs are at Certbot installation instructions. Never run production without HTTPS. Google marks HTTP sites as insecure, and payment gateways reject callback URLs on plain HTTP.

On legal-tech portals I've shipped—such as Notary Nepal and Court Marriage In Nepal—SSL and clean canonical URLs are baseline requirements. They affect trust and search visibility alike. Pair server setup with technical SEO services if indexation matters from day one.

What deployment and maintenance steps keep a .com.np cloud site reliable?

Getting the site online is half the job. Backups, monitoring, and deploy discipline keep it there. On production Laravel apps I use Deployer 7 with GitLab CI. Sister legal sites on shared EC2 follow the same pattern. WordPress sites need plugin update discipline and off-site backups.

Post-launch checklist

• Configure automated nightly database and file backups to object storage.
• Set up uptime monitoring on HTTPS endpoint and alert via SMS or email.
• Enable fail2ban on SSH and rate-limit Nginx for login endpoints.
• Schedule certbot renew verification monthly.
• Point Google Search Console to the HTTPS property and submit sitemap.
• Document DNS records in a shared runbook for the next developer.

Read backup and disaster recovery on the cloud before you skip backups. A Rs 500/month snapshot plan beats rebuilding a client portal from scratch. For ongoing ops, Linux system administration in Nepal and support and maintenance services cover what small teams cannot staff internally.

If you build custom apps rather than WordPress, web development in Nepal and custom software development align architecture with your cloud choice from the start. JSON config for CI pipelines is easier to validate with a JSON formatter tool before you paste secrets into GitLab.

Compare your new setup against shared hosting trade-offs in AWS cloud hosting vs shared hosting in Nepal. Cloud wins on control and scale. Shared wins on price for brochure sites under 5,000 visits per month.

Key Takeaways

• Register your .com.np through Mercantile with PAN docs before provisioning cloud infrastructure.
• Pick a cloud region close to Nepal—Mumbai or Singapore—for acceptable latency on business sites.
• Point Mercantile A records to your VPS IPv4; preserve MX and SPF if email must keep working.
• Install Nginx, PHP 8.3+, and Certbot on Ubuntu 24 before switching live DNS traffic.
• Automate backups and SSL renewal; document every DNS record in a runbook.
• Use Git-based deploys with zero-downtime releases instead of FTP uploads to production.

People Also Ask

Is .com.np domain registration free?

Yes, for eligible registrants Mercantile does not charge registration fees for .np domains. You still pay for cloud hosting, SSL is free via Let's Encrypt, and optional services like managed email or CDN add cost. Budget Rs 800–3,000 per month (~USD 6–22) for a small VPS depending on provider and region.

How long does DNS propagation take for a .com.np domain?

Most A record changes propagate within 15 minutes to four hours when TTL is set to 300 seconds. Full global propagation can take up to 48 hours if old TTL values were high. Use dig or online DNS checkers to confirm the new IP before you announce go-live.

Can I use Cloudflare with a .com.np domain?

Yes. Change nameservers at Mercantile to Cloudflare's pair, then manage A records in the Cloudflare dashboard. You get free CDN, DDoS protection, and flexible SSL modes. Ensure origin SSL on the VPS is valid when using Full (strict) mode.

Do I need a .com.np domain for a Nepal business website?

It is not legally mandatory for every business, but .com.np signals local registration and helps trust with Nepal customers. Generic .com domains work globally. Many firms run both: .com.np for local SEO and .com for international reach. See the comparison article linked above for decision criteria.

Deploy your .com.np site on cloud hosting with confidence

A proper setup to set up a .com.np domain with cloud hosting ties registry paperwork, regional VPS choice, clean DNS, HTTPS, and deploy automation into one workflow. Skip any layer and you will debug it under pressure after launch. If you want Mercantile registration, server hardening, and Laravel or WordPress deploy handled together, contact us or review the Mijar Law Associates portfolio for a live legal-tech example on this stack.