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DNS management
DNS connects a domain to the services behind it: a website, email and anything else it points to. This guide covers the record types, nameservers, TTL and propagation, DNSSEC, common setups and how to troubleshoot a record that is not working yet.
7 chapters and common setups
DNS (the Domain Name System) turns a domain name into the information other services need to find it, such as the address of the server behind your website or the mail server that handles your email.
A DNS record is one entry of that information; a domain usually holds several, each answering a different question.
Key points
Nameservers are the servers that store and answer for a domain's DNS records. An NS record lists which nameservers are responsible for a domain.
Changing nameservers moves every record to a new provider at once; editing a record only changes that one entry. With Cloudoora, you can manage records for your website and email from the dashboard, or point a domain's nameservers at Cloudflare and manage records there instead.
Key points
An A record points a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address; an AAAA record does the same for an IPv6 address. A CNAME record points one hostname to another hostname instead of to an address.
A root domain usually needs an A (or AAAA) record. Subdomains, such as www, often use a CNAME pointing at the root or at a hostname your host provides.
Key points
MX records tell the internet which mail servers handle a domain's email, each with a priority. TXT records hold short text, and three common ones secure email: SPF lists the servers allowed to send mail for your domain, DKIM lets a receiving server check a message was not altered, and DMARC tells it what to do with mail that fails those checks.
See the SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide for the records cPanel email needs.
Key points
An NS record lists a domain's nameservers. A CAA record states which certificate authorities are allowed to issue an SSL certificate for the domain, so requests from anyone else are refused. An SRV record points a specific service, used by some communication tools, to a host and port.
Key points
TTL (time to live) is how long, in seconds, other servers are allowed to cache a record before checking again. A low TTL shows changes sooner but means more lookups; a high TTL is cached for longer.
Propagation is the time it takes a change to reach every resolver still caching the old answer. It is usually quick but can take longer, and a nameserver change propagates slower than editing a single record. See DNS propagation explained and what happens after a nameserver change.
Key points
DNSSEC adds a digital signature to DNS answers, so a resolver can check they have not been forged or altered in transit. Cloudoora lets you turn on DNSSEC for a domain.
It protects the DNS answers themselves; it is a different job from an SSL certificate, which protects the connection to your website.
Key points
Common setups
Add an A (or AAAA) record at the root pointing to your host's server address, and a CNAME for www pointing at the root or at the hostname your host gives you.
Add these from the dashboard alongside your domain's email records.
Add the MX records your mail provider gives you, then add the SPF, DKIM and DMARC TXT records so receiving servers trust your mail. See the email setup guide.
Copy the exact values your provider gives you; a typo can break mail delivery.
Add the TXT (or sometimes CNAME) record the service asks for, wait for it to propagate, then run the service's verification check.
Leave the record in place if the service checks it again later.
Troubleshooting
Do
Wait out the TTL and the usual propagation window before assuming a change failed. DNS propagation explained
Look at the record returned by the domain's current nameservers, not just what your dashboard shows.
Before a planned migration, lower TTL so the old record expires from caches sooner.
Run a WHOIS lookup to see which nameservers a domain is currently using.
Avoid
Different resolvers around the world update at different times.
Change one, confirm it worked, then change the other, so you know what fixed or broke it.
Keep it until the new one is confirmed working everywhere you need it.
Copy the exact string your provider gives you.
Related
Why DNS changes take time to show up everywhere.
What happens after a nameserver change, and how long it takes.
Add MX and authentication records step by step.
Set up email authentication records in cPanel.
Check a domain's nameservers and status codes.
Search and register, then manage its DNS.
FAQ
A nameserver is a server that answers DNS queries for a domain. A DNS record is one entry it holds, such as an A or MX record.
It depends on TTL and the record type; a nameserver change usually takes longer than editing one record. DNS propagation explained
Yes. The Cloudoora dashboard lets you add and edit records for your website and email from one place.
It signs DNS answers so they can be checked for tampering. It is recommended, and Cloudoora lets you turn it on for a domain.
SPF lists who may send mail for your domain, DKIM lets a message be verified as unaltered, and DMARC tells receiving servers what to do when a message fails those checks.
Yes. You can point a domain's nameservers at Cloudflare and manage its records there.
It limits which certificate authorities may issue an SSL certificate for the domain, so a request from any other authority is refused.
Add and edit DNS records for your website and email from the Cloudoora dashboard.
