Custom DNS
The Custom DNS page lets you manage the DNS records for a domain. This includes viewing and editing existing records, adding new ones, and more.
Changes made here affect how your domain connects to websites, email services, and other external providers.
Enabling Custom DNS for the First Time
- Log into the Domain Name Management System
- Click the domain to you want to enable Custom DNS on
- In the “DNS” section, click Use Our DNS
Important Note: Turning on Custom DNS will immediately change the name servers for your domain. All current DNS settings for web and email will be overwritten.
If you proceed, the current websites and email will go offline until you add new DNS records or import a DNS zone file.
If you have multiple DNS records to add, you can put them all in a text file and then import it after turning on Custom DNS.
Make the first line of the text file$TTL 3600.
Enter each record in the standard DNS format of$hostname IN $record_type $value - Check the box next to I have read and agree to the Domain Name Registration Agreement
- Click Turn On
You can now view and manage your domain’s Custom DNS.
Accessing the Custom DNS Page
Note: You must first complete the steps under “Enabling DNS for the First Time” before you can access the Custom DNS page.
- Log into the Domain Name Management System
- Click the domain to you want to manage Custom DNS on
- Click Edit DNS
This will take you to the Custom DNS page.
Custom DNS Page Overview
The Custom DNS page is divided into navigation tabs, DNS settings, and a DNS records table.
Navigation Tabs
Current Settings: View and edit existing DNS records and DNS settings.
Add New Record: Add new DNS records.
Forwarding: Set up website and email forwarding for the domain.
Site Builder: Manage your domain’s Site Builder.
DNS Settings
DNSSEC: Turns DNSSEC on or off for the domain. See What is DNSSEC?
Time to Live: Sets the default Time To Live (TTL) for DNS records.
TTL determines how long DNS information can be saved, or “cached,” by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) before they check for updates again. The value is measured in seconds and acts as a maximum time limit for caching.
ISPs cache DNS lookups to speed up site access. Instead of querying the authoritative name servers every time a domain is requested, they reuse the cached information until the TTL expires.
Higher TTL values are best when DNS records rarely change.
Lower TTL values are useful when you expect DNS changes, such as during migrations or troubleshooting.
Note that ISPs may refresh records sooner than the TTL. The TTL simply sets the maximum cache duration.
Download DNS Zone: Downloads the current DNS zone file.
Turn On Dynamic DNS: Turns on Dynamic DNS. See Dynamic DNS.
Manage Dynamic DNS: Manage Dynamic DNS on your domain. See Dynamic DNS. Note: This button only appears if Dynamic DNS is turned on.
Turn Off Custom DNS: Turns off Custom DNS.
DNS Records Table
The DNS Records table shows all records currently configured for the domain.
Type: The DNS record type (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.).
Host: The hostname the record applies to (@ represents the root domain).
Data: The value the record points to. This depends on the record type and may be an IP address, host name, mail server, or text value.
Change Record: Indicates whether a DNS record can be modified.
Some records cannot be changed because they are required for active services. When a record is locked, the interface prevents changes to protect required configurations.
Edit: Allows you modify an existing domain record. Records required for current services may not be editable.
Delete: Removes the DNS record from the domain. Records required for current services may not be deleted.
