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10 min

How to Configure DNS Records

A record, CNAME, MX, TXT (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), NS explained.

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BeoHosting Team

10+ years of experience — Web hosting and infrastructure specialists

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DNS records tell the internet where to find your site, email and other services for a domain. A misconfigured DNS means visitors see "site not found", email bounces and SSL certificates fail. This guide walks through every record type you need: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), NS — and how to edit them in cPanel Zone Editor and Cloudflare DNS.

How to Configure DNS Records

1

Find your DNS editor

If nameservers point to your hosting: cPanel → Zone Editor. If DNS is on Cloudflare: Cloudflare → DNS → Records. Edit where the nameservers point — editing the wrong place does nothing.

2

A and AAAA — point domain to server IP

A record maps a name to IPv4. AAAA same but IPv6. Example: A @ → 1.2.3.4 (@ = apex domain). For subdomains: A blog → 1.2.3.4.

3

CNAME — alias one name to another

CNAME maps a name to another name. Example: CNAME www → yourdomain.com. Useful for pointing subdomains to Cloudflare, Vercel, S3. CNAME cannot be used for the apex domain in classic DNS.

4

MX — email routing

MX records tell senders which server handles email. Format: MX @ 10 mail.yourdomain.com (priority 10 = primary). For Google Workspace: 5 priority records pointing to aspmx.l.google.com. Without correct MX, email bounces.

5

TXT — SPF, DKIM, DMARC for email auth

SPF: TXT @ → "v=spf1 +a +mx -all". DKIM: TXT default._domainkey → long key from your email provider. DMARC: TXT _dmarc → "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:reports@yourdomain.com". Without SPF/DKIM/DMARC, email lands in spam.

6

NS — nameservers

NS records define which servers are authoritative for the zone. You usually edit these at the registrar, not in the zone. To delegate a subdomain to another DNS provider, add NS records in the parent zone.

7

TTL — how long DNS is cached

TTL in seconds tells resolvers how long to cache the record. Default 14400 (4 hours). Before migration, drop TTL to 300 (5 min) so changes propagate fast. After migration, raise back to 14400.

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FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about our services.

Propagation can take 1-24 hours. Use whatsmydns.net for global check. If you edited the wrong DNS (cPanel but nameservers point to Cloudflare), nothing will change.

Either works. CNAME www → yourdomain.com is cleaner (only update one record on IP changes). A www → 1.2.3.4 is also fine. CDNs prefer CNAME for www.

Most likely missing or wrong SPF/DKIM/DMARC. Use mail-tester.com to see which authentication is missing. Add the records, wait an hour, retest.

Yes for most sites — Cloudflare DNS is fast, free, has DDoS protection at the DNS layer and integrates with their CDN. Only reason not to: you need DNSSEC with a specific registrar.

Use online DNS-checking tools: dnschecker.org (propagation check), mxtoolbox.com (detailed DNS analysis and email check), the BeoHosting DNS Checker (/alati/dns-checker), or the dig and nslookup commands in a terminal. For email specifically, mail-tester.com checks SPF, DKIM, DMARC and other deliverability factors. For SSL and HTTPS, use ssllabs.com. Check from multiple locations, because propagation can be uneven.

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