DNS Explained: How to Point Your Domain the Right Way

DNS is simple once you know what each record type actually does. This guide covers the records you'll touch 99% of the time, and the mistakes that cause “my site is down” tickets.

The records that matter

• A — maps a name to an IPv4 address: example.com → 203.0.113.10
• AAAA — same, for IPv6.
• CNAME — an alias to another name: www → example.com. Never place a CNAME on the bare domain root.
• MX — where email for the domain is delivered. Priority number: lower wins.
• TXT — free-form text; used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain verification.
• NS — which nameservers are authoritative for the zone.

Pointing a domain at your server

Type   Name   Value            TTL
A      @      203.0.113.10     3600
A      www    203.0.113.10     3600

That's it. Replace the IP with your server's address from the client area. Prefer an A record for www (or a CNAME to the root — both work).

TTL: the waiting game

TTL tells resolvers how long to cache a record. Planning a migration? Lower the TTL to 300 (5 minutes) a day in advance, move, verify, then raise it back to 3600+. This single habit turns migration downtime from hours into minutes.

Email needs three TXT records

TXT  @         "v=spf1 mx a ~all"
TXT  default._domainkey   "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=YOUR_KEY"
TXT  _dmarc    "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected]"

Without SPF + DKIM + DMARC, modern providers will send your mail to spam — or reject it outright.

Debugging like an engineer

dig +short example.com A
dig +short example.com MX
dig example.com ANY @1.1.1.1     # ask a specific resolver
dig +trace example.com           # follow the delegation chain

If dig @1.1.1.1 shows the new value but your browser doesn't, it's local cache — not the DNS.

Common mistakes

• CNAME at the zone root (breaks MX/TXT on the same name);
• Forgetting the www record entirely;
• Changing records before lowering TTL for a migration;
• Copying an old server's IP into new records.

Registering or transferring a domain with us? DNS management is included free — and our team is happy to review your zone via ticket.