We all know how important it is to properly resolve your domain, but we rarely think about what happens when we type a domain name into our browser’s address bar and hit enter. First, your browser connects to the domain’s nameservers. Nameservers check the domain’s DNS records and return the IP address of the server hosting the website. From then on, it is up to the server to serve the correct content.
It seems like a pretty straightforward system that doesn’t require much further configuration. But considering how many different websites are out there, you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that some projects require additional configuration. This is why most hosting providers will allow you to change DNS records if the nameservers are set correctly.
Different types of DNS records serve different purposes. A “CNAME” record, for example, is often used to ensure that both www.domain.com and domain.com represent the same content. “MX” records determine which servers will process your email communications. When it comes to webpage delivery, the most important DNS record is the “A” record.
The A in A record stands for “address” and its function is to map the human-readable domain or subdomain to a valid IP address. A record has multiple purposes. You can, for example, set up multiple A records for the same domain for redundancy, and you can host different sections of your website on different servers by setting up A records for your subdomains.
Add a DNS record through HostPanel
Users of Softxaa’s managed hosting solutions can configure DNS records for their domain names through HostPanel. Here’s what you need to do:
- Log in to HostPanel’s user interface. The default login URL is https://domain.com/hostpanel. (use your actual domain name instead of domain.com)
HostPanel Login Page - Open the DNS editor. The DNS Editor is available under the Domains section, and it allows you to control your domain’s DNS records.
DNS Manager Tool - Add new A record. Below the drop-down that lets you pick the domain you want to edit, you have the utility to add new DNS records. To add a new A record, you must first enter the domain or subdomain in the Name field. Note that if you want to add a DNS record for a subdomain, you don’t need to enter the parent domain in the field (ie, if you want to set an A record for shop.domain.com, you just need to enter the shop in the field ). Next, you need to determine the type of record you are going to set (in our case it’s A record) and the TTL (or time to live). TTL, in this case, defines how much time (in seconds) a record spends in the DNS cache. The propagation time is dependent on various factors, but generally speaking, the shorter the TTL, the faster the changes will be reflected around the world. Keep in mind, however, that if you set the TTL too low, you may put a load on the nameservers and your website’s performance may suffer. Finally, in the Value field, you must enter the IPv4 address of the hosting server you want to point to your domain/subdomain. When you’re ready, click the Add Record button to complete the process.
The new record will immediately appear in the list below, but you need to remember that DNS settings need time to propagate around the world. In most cases, propagation is complete after a few hours, but sometimes it can take longer. If the domain doesn’t resolve properly after 48 hours, chances are, the problem isn’t with the propagation.
