How to manage your DNS records
DNS is the address book of the internet. When someone types your domain, DNS is what tells their computer which server to reach. You manage that address book for your domains on the DNS page.
The DNS page
Section titled “The DNS page”Pick a domain from the selector at the top. You then see:
- A nameserver bar with the two nameservers to set at your registrar (see Set your nameservers).
- A Records table, where you add, edit and remove records.
- An Analytics tab showing how many queries the domain is getting.
To add a record, click Add record, choose a type, fill in the name and value, and save. To change one, click Edit on its row. Records take effect within a minute or two.
The parts of a record
Section titled “The parts of a record”- Name is the part in front of your domain. Leave it blank (shown as
@) for the domain itself, or enter something likewwwforwww.yourdomain.com. - Type is what kind of record it is (see below).
- Value is what it points to. Some records hold more than one value; put each on its own line.
- TTL is how long, in seconds, other servers may cache the record. 3600 (one hour) is a fine default.
Record types, in plain terms
Section titled “Record types, in plain terms”| Type | Use it to… | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Point a name at a server’s IPv4 address | 203.0.113.10 |
| AAAA | Point a name at a server’s IPv6 address | 2001:db8::1 |
| CNAME | Make one name an alias of another name | yourdomain.com. |
| MX | Say which mail server handles email for the domain | 10 mail.yourdomain.com. |
| TXT | Hold text, most often for email checks (SPF, DKIM) and domain verification | "v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all" |
| NS | Delegate a subdomain to other nameservers | ns1.otherprovider.com. |
| SRV | Advertise a service and its port (SIP, XMPP, etc.) | 10 60 5060 sip.yourdomain.com. |
| CAA | Say which authorities may issue TLS certificates for the domain | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
A few things worth knowing:
- Point your site at a server: add an A record. Use the name
@for the bare domain andwwwfor the www version, both pointing at your server’s IP. - CNAME can’t sit at the bare domain. Use it on names like
shoporblog, not@. - Trailing dots matter. Values that are themselves domain names (MX, CNAME, NS, SRV targets) end
with a dot, e.g.
mail.yourdomain.com.The panel accepts them as shown in the examples above. - Email needs both MX and TXT. An MX record says where mail goes; SPF and DKIM (TXT records) prove your mail is genuine so it isn’t marked as spam. Your email provider gives you the exact values.
Finding and filtering records
Section titled “Finding and filtering records”The Records table has a search box (matches a name or a value), a type filter, sortable columns, and pages of 25, so a domain with hundreds of records stays manageable.
If a change doesn’t seem to work, first check that your domain actually points at our nameservers. See Set your nameservers.