DNS records explained with examples
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, CAA and SRV: choose the right setting.
Guide to the current versionGuide contents
Before you begin
- A signed-in customer account with a service assigned to it.
Which type should I choose?#
| Type | Purpose | Illustrative example |
|---|---|---|
| A | Associate a name with an IPv4 | @ → 203.0.113.10 |
| AAAA | Associate a name with an IPv6 | www → 2001:db8::10 |
| CNAME | Make a subdomain an alias of another name | www → example.com. |
| MX | Specify the server receiving email | @ → 10 mail.example.com. |
| TXT | Publish verification or authentication text | Exact value supplied by the service |
| CAA | Authorise a certificate authority to issue certificates | Value supplied by your hosting provider |
| SRV | Specify the server and port for a service | Priority, weight, port and target supplied by the application |
Add a record without disrupting other services#
- Open the domain → DNS zone and search for the name to change first.
- Choose Add a record, type, name and value. @ represents the domain root; www is its subdomain.
- Enter a suitable TTL and review before publishing. A/AAAA values are IPs, without https:// or a path.
- After confirmation, check the list and wait for caches to expire. Keep old values if you need to revert.
Conflicts to avoid#
A CNAME must not coexist with other types at the same name. At the domain root, use A/AAAA records suitable for your hosting; the portal rejects conflicts.
Do not create multiple SPF policies at the same name. Other verification TXT records can coexist with SPF: do not delete the entire TXT group.
Do not change MX to connect a website. MX handles email; A/AAAA and CNAME point names to services.
These examples do not configure your hosting#
Example IPs do not serve websites. Replace them with addresses supplied by your hosting provider. Publishing DNS does not create an application or certificate on the target server.
Ready to get started?
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