Knowledgebase

Default DNS Zone

The default DNS zone will likely look similar to the below picture though the IP address in the Record column will likely differ, as will the domain ('hello.com' will be substituted with your domain name.)

Record Overview

The Advanced DNS Zone Editor offers three main record types:

• A Record - tells web browsers and other software what IP address to query for a website address

• CNAME Record - maps address to already existing address (take care when setting CNAMEs though, as software other than web browsers are usually not obligated to follow CNAME records and may fail queries!)

• TXT Record - basically a record that has custom text data; common example of a TXT record is a SPF record that looks similarly to 'v=spf1 a -all'

Each record consists of four main fields:

• Name - record name, such as a subdomain

• TTL - Time To Live, how much time in seconds the record will be cached (stored locally across systems to speed up queries, high values useful if records don't update often)

• Type - one of the above three types

• Address/CNAME/TXT Data - "target" or "content" field of the record; an IP address for A records, a domain name for CNAME records and text data for TXT Records

  Note: Each subdomain that is added via cPanel will have it's own A Record in the Advanced DNS Zone Editor added automatically

Adding Records

Important cPanel will automatically create records necessary for any added domain or subdomain. Adding records is usually only advised if custom changes are necessary.

Before manipulating DNS records please make sure the correct domain is selected in the Select a Domain section:



To add a record:

1. Select the type, input the Name, TTL, and the Target field
   Note: the TTL is commonly left out at 3600.
   
   Once you input the record Name, selecting another field or clicking somewhere else will make cPanel fill out the "rest" of the record, if the full domain is not specified.

2. After entering the required details click the Add Record button

Note: when a domain and a dot are specified at the end, the record will be treated as an absolute address as opposed to a subdomain.

Example A Record:



Example CNAME Record:



Example TXT Record:

Editing Records

Editing Records is done by clicking the Edit link next to each record. The procedure for editing them is then very similar to adding records.

Deleting Records

Deleting DNS Records is done by clicking the Delete link next to each record and confirming the deletion in the following confirmation message.