The Domain Name System (DNS) is like a telephone directory for the internet. The system translates queries in the form of website names into sequences of numbers - the actual form of websites. This arose from the need to make websites more memorable - after all, it is more difficult to remember a series of numbers than, for example, "www.cloud86.io".
When you order a Web Hosting plan from us, you specify a main domain. A DNS Zone is also created for this main domain in My Cloud86. In this guide, we explain the most important DNS records needed for a properly functioning website and mail.
For illustration purposes, we use the domain cloud86example.com always replace it with your own domain in question. The domain is whatever is behind the @ sign in the mail address (@cloud86example.com) or entered in the url bar in the browser (after https://www. or https://).
DNS Settings for my Website
The A record converts a url to an ip address. The ip address is the location in computer language where you need to land to see the website. If we search for the website of our test domain cloud86example.com it looks for the A record named @. If you go to the url webmail.cloud86example.com it searches for the name webmail. This is because the domain (the name after Edit Zone) is automatically added with us. If you are looking for another subdomain such as staging.cloud86example.com which is not present in the DNS Zone at the moment, it looks for the record with the * (asterix).
DNS Settings for Mail
When sending mail, the first thing we always look at is the MX record. This record tells where mail should be delivered for the domain. Besides the information where the mail should be delivered, it also contains information from where you are allowed to mail. That information is included in the SPF record. This is the minimum you need to be able to mail.
Nowadays, in addition to the above records, we also have a DKIM record. A DKIM record adds a digital signature to your e-mail messages that allows receiving mail servers, such as Google or Hotmail/Outlook mail servers, to see that your message was sent from an authorized connection. To activate DKIM with our mail, you can use the following guide: Setup DKIM. After following the guide you will get the following (similar) records.
Note: If you activate DKIM from other mail servers, such as sendgrid and mailchimp, for example, then they may ask not for TXT records, but for CNAME records.
DNS settings for CNAME
In this example, we have added 2 CNAME records for sending mail through MailChimp. A CNAME record is a record that links to another url record. You then have to follow that url to eventually get to the correct ip address. Because when you link through, you get the same address as the referral, this is also called an alias.
DNS settings for Nameservers (NS)
These records determine where we will look for all DNS settings. If you use the 3 Nameservers of Cloud86, you will see that the NS records refer to: ns1.cloud86.nl, ns2.cloud86.nl and ns3.cloud86.eu. If you change these, then the DNS Zone in My Cloud86 will no longer be used and the records present with us that point to the website and mail will no longer work. So before you switch Nameservers, always ensure that the DNS records are prepared with the new provider
You can prepare the domain with us by first adding a domain to our DNS Zone and then forwarding the domain to Cloud86.
If you have registered your domain with us and you want to change your nameservers, because you want to use for example, Cloudflare DNS, you can change your domain's nameservers with the following guide.
DNSSEC
To enable DNSSEC, please send an email to our support desk with the domain name for which you want to activate DNSSEC. Below is a description of what it is and why it can help you.
DNSSEC is a set of protocols that increase the security of the DNS through digital signatures. Using DNSSEC prevents hackers from manipulating DNS records and redirecting Internet traffic to malicious Web sites. You can learn more about DNSSEC by clicking this link: DNSSEC.
If you need some help, you can always reach our support desk by email support@cloud86.io and on weekdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm you can also reach us by phone and via the chat in My Cloud86.