DNS records are the instructions that tell the internet where your domain's website and mail should go. An A record points a name to an IPv4 address, a CNAME points one name to another name, MX records route incoming mail, and TXT records carry verification and anti-spam policies. You edit them at the company where you registered the domain, not inside your hosting account, and changes usually appear within the TTL you set.
The record types that matter most
| Record | What it does | Typical value | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address | 203.0.113.10 | Old IP left behind after a host change |
| AAAA | Maps a hostname to an IPv6 address | 2001:db8::10 | Stale IPv6 record that overrides the new server |
| CNAME | Aliases one name to another name | www to example.com | Used at the root, where it conflicts with MX |
| MX | Names the mail servers and their priority | 10 mail.example.com | Deleted during a website migration |
| TXT | Holds SPF, DKIM, and verification strings | v=spf1 include:mail.example.net ~all | Two SPF records instead of one |
| TTL | How long resolvers may cache the answer | 3600 seconds | Very high TTL makes fixes feel slow |
How to change a record
- Log in to your domain registrar and open the DNS zone for the domain.
- Find the existing record before adding anything. Editing the current A record is safer than adding a second one, because two A records split traffic unpredictably.
- Enter the host as
@for the bare domain andwwwfor the www version, unless your registrar expects the full name. - Lower the TTL to
300seconds a day before a planned move, then raise it again afterwards. - Save and wait. Do not repeat the change every few minutes; each new edit restarts the waiting period for caches that already hold the old value.
Propagation and how to verify
Propagation is not a single event but a countdown: every resolver that cached the old answer keeps it until its TTL expires. Expect minutes for a 300-second TTL and up to a day for 86400. Check with dig example.com A or nslookup example.com against a public resolver, and compare results from two networks. A browser cache or a local DNS cache can also show the old site after the records are correct, so test in a private window.
What breaks email
- Deleting MX records during a website migration stops all incoming mail.
- A CNAME at the root conflicts with MX and TXT records and can silently disable mail.
- A wrong or duplicated SPF record makes receivers ignore the policy, which pushes messages to spam.
- Changing nameservers moves the whole zone at once, so copy every mail and verification record first.
Point your site at your hosting account only after the records are confirmed. If you are unsure which address to use, check the hosting page or ask us via contact.