Managing DNS records: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, CAA and SRV
DNS records tell the internet where to send visitors, email and other services for your domain. This guide explains each record type and how to add it.
Where to manage your records
Section titled “Where to manage your records”If your domain uses Ruachost’s nameservers (nsa.ruachost.com and nsb.ruachost.com), you can manage DNS in either place. They stay in sync:
- Client area: Domains → Manage DNS. See Using the DNS Manager.
- cPanel: Domains → Zone Editor → Manage. See Using the DNS Zone Editor in cPanel.
If your domain uses other nameservers, such as Cloudflare’s, add records there instead. See My DNS changes aren’t working.
Record names
Section titled “Record names”The Name says which address the record applies to:
@(or your domain,example.com.) means the domain itselfwwwmeanswww.example.comshopmeansshop.example.com
The record types
Section titled “The record types”| Type | What it does | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Points a name to an IPv4 address | 192.0.2.10 |
| AAAA | Points a name to an IPv6 address | 2001:db8::10 |
| CNAME | Makes a name an alias of another name | example.com or shops.myshopify.com |
| MX | Says which server receives email, with a priority (lower is tried first) | 10 mail.example.com |
| TXT | Holds text: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification codes | v=spf1 include:... ~all |
| CAA | Lists which certificate authorities may issue SSL for your domain | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
| SRV | Points a service, such as SIP or Microsoft 365, to a server and port | 100 1 443 sipdir.online.lync.com |
A and AAAA
Section titled “A and AAAA”Use an A record to point your domain or a subdomain to a server’s IP address, for example your Ruachost hosting IP. Only add an AAAA record if the service you’re pointing to gives you an IPv6 address. A wrong AAAA record can make your site fail for some visitors.
Use a CNAME to point a subdomain at another name, for example www → example.com, or shop → your Shopify store. A name with a CNAME can’t have any other record. That’s why the root domain (@) can’t be a CNAME; use an A record there instead. See CNAME vs A record.
MX records route your email. With email that comes with your Ruachost hosting, the MX record points to your domain’s mail server and is set up automatically. For Ruachost Business Email, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, replace it with their MX records. See Which Ruachost email do I have?
TXT records prove ownership (for example to Google Search Console) and protect your email. See What is a DNS TXT record? and Fixing Gmail’s “couldn’t verify” warning, which covers SPF, DKIM and DMARC. A domain should have only one SPF record.
CAA records are optional. If you add one, it must include every certificate authority you use, or SSL certificates will fail to renew. For AutoSSL, allow the authorities your server uses, such as letsencrypt.org and sectigo.com. If unsure, don’t add a CAA record.
SRV records are used by some services, such as Microsoft 365 and VoIP systems. The service provider tells you the exact values. See Adding an SRV record to a domain.
TTL (time to live) is how long, in seconds, other servers may cache a record. The default (14400, four hours) is fine for most records. Lower it to 300 before a planned change, so the change spreads faster. See DNS propagation explained.