Preview a Site Without Changing DNS

When you’re migrating a website to RemarkableCloud, you want to verify everything works on the new server before pointing DNS at it. Here are three ways to do that without touching DNS.

Method 1: Edit your hosts file (most reliable)

The hosts file on your local computer lets you override DNS for specific domains, sending them to any IP you specify.

On Windows

1. Open Notepad as Administrator (search Notepad → right-click → Run as Administrator)
2. Open the file: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
3. Add a line at the bottom:

   YOUR_NEW_SERVER_IP   yourdomain.com
   YOUR_NEW_SERVER_IP   www.yourdomain.com

4. Save the file
5. Open a browser and go to yourdomain.com: your computer sends the request to the new server

On macOS / Linux

sudo nano /etc/hosts

# Add at the bottom:
YOUR_NEW_SERVER_IP   yourdomain.com
YOUR_NEW_SERVER_IP   www.yourdomain.com

# Save: Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X

Removing the override

Delete the lines you added and save. Your computer goes back to using real DNS immediately: no reboot needed.

The hosts file override only applies to the machine it's edited on. Other people visiting your domain still see the old server. This is intentional: you're previewing privately before making the change live.

Method 2: cPanel temporary URL

When a domain is added to a cPanel account, WHM makes it accessible via a temporary URL even before DNS is configured:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP/~cpanelusername/

Replace cpanelusername with the cPanel account username. This works for HTTP but not HTTPS, and some sites with hardcoded domain URLs won’t render perfectly.

Method 3: Browser extension

Extensions like LiveHosts (Chrome) or HostSwitcher (Firefox) let you override DNS in the browser without editing system files. Useful if you don’t have admin access on your computer.

Install the extension, add an entry for yourdomain.com → YOUR_SERVER_IP, enable it, and refresh.

What to check during the preview

• Homepage loads correctly
• Images, CSS, and JavaScript load (no broken assets)
• WordPress admin is accessible
• Database-driven content (posts, products) displays correctly
• Contact forms and other interactive elements work
• SSL certificate works (may show a warning if the cert is for a different hostname)
• Email sending from the site works (test a contact form)

Once everything checks out, update your DNS and the site goes live on the new server for everyone.