Setting Up DNS Records

DNS (Domain Name System) is what translates a domain name like example.com into an IP address that servers can actually route to. This guide explains the record types you will encounter most often and when to use each one.

A Record

An A record maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. This is the most common record type.

Example - point example.com to your server:

Name:  example.com   (or @ for the root domain)
Type:  A
Value: 203.0.113.10
TTL:   3600

To also resolve www.example.com, add a second A record with www as the name, pointing at the same IP.

AAAA Record

The same as an A record but for IPv6 addresses. If your server has an IPv6 address, add an AAAA record alongside the A record.

CNAME Record

A CNAME (Canonical Name) points one hostname to another hostname rather than an IP address. It is useful for subdomains that should follow the same IP as the root domain.

Name:  www
Type:  CNAME
Value: example.com

You cannot use a CNAME for the root domain (@). Use an A record there instead.

MX Record

MX records tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain. If you use an external email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, etc.) they will give you MX records to add.

Name:     example.com  (or @)
Type:     MX
Priority: 10
Value:    mail.example.com

Lower priority numbers are tried first. If your provider gives you multiple MX records, add them all with the priorities they specify.

TXT Record

TXT records store arbitrary text and are widely used for domain verification and email authentication.

SPF - tells mail servers which servers are allowed to send email from your domain:

Name:  @
Type:  TXT
Value: "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"

DKIM - a digital signature that proves email genuinely came from you. Your email provider will give you the exact key to add.

DMARC - a policy that tells receiving servers what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM checks:

Name:  _dmarc
Type:  TXT
Value: "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]"

Domain verification - services like Google Search Console or Cloudflare ask you to add a TXT record to prove you own the domain. Just paste the value they give you with the name they specify.

NS Record

NS records define which nameservers are authoritative for your domain. These are set at your registrar (not in the DNS manager) and point to the nameservers hosting your zone. If your domain is registered with us and you use our default nameservers, you do not need to change these.

TTL

TTL (Time To Live) is how long, in seconds, other DNS servers should cache your record before checking again. A low TTL (e.g. 300) means changes propagate faster but increases query load. A high TTL (e.g. 86400) is fine for stable records. Before making changes, temporarily lower TTLs to 300 so the switch happens quickly.