DNS records tell the internet how to handle traffic for your domain — where to find your website, where to deliver email, and how to verify your identity. This guide covers the most common record types.
How to add a record
- Open the DNS Manager and click on the zone (domain) you want to manage.
- Click Add Record.
- Select the record type, fill in the required fields, and click Save.
A record — points your domain to an IP address
- Name: Leave blank or enter @ for the root domain. Enter www for the www subdomain.
- Type: A
- TTL: 3600 (or leave default)
- Address: Your server IP address
AAAA record — same as A record but for IPv6
- Name: @ or subdomain name
- Type: AAAA
- Address: Your IPv6 address
CNAME record — points a subdomain to another domain name
- Name: The subdomain (e.g. www or blog)
- Type: CNAME
- Address: The target domain (e.g. yourdomain.com)
Note: You cannot use a CNAME for the root domain (@). Use an A record instead.
MX record — directs email to your mail server
- Name: @ (root domain)
- Type: MX
- Priority: 10 (lower number = higher priority)
- Address: Your mail server hostname (e.g. mail.yourdomain.com)
TXT record — used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and domain verification
- Name: @ for root domain, or specific name (e.g. _dmarc)
- Type: TXT
- Address: The text value (e.g. v=spf1 include:b2b-server.net ~all)
SRV record — used for services like VoIP and Microsoft 365
- Name: Service and protocol (e.g. _sip._tcp)
- Type: SRV
- Priority, Weight, Port: As specified by your service provider
- Address: The target hostname
CAA record — controls which certificate authorities can issue SSL for your domain
- Name: @
- Type: CAA
- Address: e.g. 0 issue "letsencrypt.org"
TTL explained
TTL (Time To Live) is how long DNS resolvers cache your record, in seconds. A lower TTL (e.g. 300) means changes propagate faster. A higher TTL (e.g. 86400) reduces DNS lookup traffic. 3600 (1 hour) is a good default.
