DNS at DNSimple
Table of Contents
DNSimple provides powerful DNS hosting services to help you manage your domain’s DNS records, configure name servers, and ensure reliable domain resolution. This guide organizes all DNS-related documentation to help you find exactly what you need.
Announcements
Important updates and changes that may affect your DNS configuration:
- Change of Non-Compliant ENT Behavior - Learn about changes to non-compliant enterprise behavior that may affect your DNS configuration.
- Discontinuation of Legacy NS2 and NS4 IP Addresses - Information about the discontinuation of legacy NS2 and NS4 IP addresses and how it affects your DNS setup.
These articles contain information that is only relevant to specific customers. If you’re impacted, you will receive an email from DNSimple.
What is DNS?
Learn about DNS fundamentals, DNS records, and DNS concepts:
- What is DNS? - Understand the fundamentals of the Domain Name System and how it translates domain names to IP addresses.
- What is Time-to-Live? - Learn about TTL (Time-to-Live) and how it controls how long DNS records are cached.
- What’s the Minimum Time-To-Live Provided by DNSimple? - Discover the minimum TTL values that DNSimple provides for your DNS records.
- How Long Does It Take for a New Record to Resolve for My Domain? - Understand the time it takes for new DNS records to become available after creation.
- What Is Resolution Status? - Learn about resolution status and how to check if your DNS records are resolving correctly.
- What Is dig? - Introduction to the dig command-line tool for querying DNS servers.
- What Is Dynamic DNS? - Understand Dynamic DNS and how it allows you to update DNS records automatically when your IP address changes.
- What Is a Zone File? - Learn about zone files and how they contain DNS record information for a domain.
- Common DNS Records - Overview of the most frequently used DNS record types and their purposes.
- What Is an A Record? - Learn about A records and how they map domain names to IPv4 addresses.
- What Is an AAAA Record? - Understand AAAA records and how they map domain names to IPv6 addresses.
- What Is an ALIAS Record? - Discover ALIAS records and how they provide CNAME-like functionality at the root domain.
- What Is a CAA Record? - Learn about CAA (Certificate Authority Authorization) records and how they specify which CAs can issue certificates.
- What Is a CNAME Record? - Understand CNAME records and how they create aliases for domain names.
- What Is a DKIM Record? - Learn about DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) records and email authentication.
- What Is a DMARC Record? - Understand DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) records and email security.
- What Are DS Records? - Learn about DS (Delegation Signer) records used for DNSSEC validation.
- What Are Glue Records? - Understand glue records and how they help resolve name servers for your domain.
- What Are HINFO Records? - Learn about HINFO records and how they describe host hardware and operating system information.
- What Is an MX Record? - Understand MX (Mail Exchange) records and how they direct email to mail servers.
- What Is an NS Record? - Learn about NS (Name Server) records and how they delegate DNS authority.
- What Are NAPTR Records? - Understand NAPTR (Name Authority Pointer) records and their use in advanced DNS routing.
- What Is a POOL Record? - Learn about POOL records and how they enable load balancing across multiple IP addresses.
- What Are Reverse DNS Lookups and PTR Records? - Understand reverse DNS lookups and PTR records that map IP addresses to domain names.
- What Is an SOA Record? - Learn about SOA (Start of Authority) records and their role in DNS zone management.
- What Is an SPF Record? - Understand SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records and email authentication.
- What Is an SRV Record? - Learn about SRV (Service) records and how they specify service locations.
- What Are SSHFP Records? - Understand SSHFP records and how they store SSH public key fingerprints.
- What Are System Records? - Learn about system records that DNSimple automatically manages for your domain.
- What Is a TXT Record? - Understand TXT records and how they store arbitrary text data for various purposes.
- What Is a URL Record? - Learn about URL records and how they redirect domains to web addresses.
- Differences Between A and CNAME Records - Understand the key differences between A and CNAME records and when to use each.
- Differences Among A, CNAME, ALIAS, and URL Records - Compare A, CNAME, ALIAS, and URL records to choose the right record type for your needs.
- What Is Anycast DNS and Why Use It? - Learn about Anycast DNS and the benefits it provides for DNS resolution speed and reliability.
- Protection Against DDoS Attacks - Understand how DNSimple protects your DNS infrastructure against DDoS attacks.
- What Is EDNS Client Subnet Support? - Learn about EDNS Client Subnet (ECS) and how it improves DNS resolution accuracy.
- Regional Records - Understand regional records and how they enable location-based DNS responses.
- Reverse DNS Zones - Learn about reverse DNS zones and how to configure PTR records.
- Why DNSSEC and Secondary DNS may not work together - Understand compatibility considerations when using DNSSEC with secondary DNS.
- How ALIAS Records Resolve with Secondary DNS - Learn how ALIAS records work when using secondary DNS providers.
- What Are Integrated DNS Providers and Why Use Them? - Understand integrated DNS providers and the benefits of using them with DNSimple.
- Integrated DNS Provider Amazon Route 53 - Learn how to use Amazon Route 53 as an integrated DNS provider.
- Integrated DNS Provider Azure DNS - Learn how to use Azure DNS as an integrated DNS provider.
- Integrated DNS Provider CoreDNS - Learn how to use CoreDNS as an integrated DNS provider.
- What Is Zone Verification and Why Does It Matter? - Understand zone verification and why it’s important for DNS management.
- How Does Zone Verification Work? - Learn about the zone verification process and how DNSimple validates DNS zones.
- Why You Should Auto-Import DNS Records - Discover the benefits of automatically importing DNS records when adding domains.
- Why Should I Use DNSimple as a DNS Hosting Provider? - Learn about the advantages of using DNSimple for DNS hosting.
How to manage DNS
Step-by-step guides for managing DNS records, zones, and DNS configuration:
- How to Use the Record Editor - Step-by-step guide to using DNSimple’s record editor to manage your DNS records.
- How To Add Common DNS Records - Learn how to add the most commonly used DNS record types.
- Activating and Deactivating a DNS Zone - Instructions for activating or deactivating DNS zones in DNSimple.
- Managing A Records - Step-by-step guide to creating, editing, and deleting A records.
- Managing AAAA Records - Learn how to manage AAAA records for IPv6 addresses.
- Managing CAA Records - Instructions for managing CAA records to control certificate issuance.
- Managing CNAME Records - Guide to creating and managing CNAME records.
- Managing URL Records - Learn how to set up and manage URL redirect records.
- Adding an SRV Record - Step-by-step instructions for adding SRV records.
- Adding and Removing DS Records - Guide to managing DS records for DNSSEC.
- Managing DS Records When Changing DNS - Learn how to handle DS records when switching DNS providers.
- Export Zone File - Instructions for exporting your DNS zone file from DNSimple.
- Import Zone File - Learn how to import a zone file into DNSimple.
- Auto-Importing DNS Records - Guide to automatically importing DNS records when adding a domain.
- Zone NS Records - Learn how to manage name server (NS) records for your zone.
- Setting up DKIM - Step-by-step guide to configuring DKIM for email authentication.
- Setting up DMARC - Instructions for setting up DMARC to protect your email domain.
- Querying MX Records - Learn how to query and verify MX records using various tools.
- Setting up Simple Dynamic DNS - Guide to configuring Dynamic DNS for automatic IP address updates.
- Managing Integrated DNS Providers - Learn how to manage integrated DNS providers in DNSimple.
- How to Use Route 53 as an Integrated DNS Provider - Step-by-step guide to using Amazon Route 53 as an integrated provider.
- How to Use CoreDNS as an Integrated DNS Provider - Instructions for using CoreDNS as an integrated DNS provider.
- Managing Integrated Zones for Integrated DNS Providers - Guide to managing zones when using integrated DNS providers.
- Managing Integrated Zone Records - Learn how to manage DNS records in integrated zones.
- Importing Integrated Zone Records - Instructions for importing records into integrated DNS zones.
- Refreshing and Importing Integrated Zones - Learn how to refresh and import zones from integrated DNS providers.
- Syncing Integrated Zone Records Between DNS Providers - Guide to syncing records between DNS providers.
- Creating a Record Note - Learn how to add notes to DNS records for documentation purposes.
- Record Notes - Understand how to use record notes to document your DNS configuration.
- How to Use dig - Comprehensive guide to using the dig command-line tool for DNS queries.
- Check DNS Cache - Learn how to check and clear DNS cache to verify record changes.
- Check Resolution Status - Instructions for checking if your DNS records are resolving correctly.
- Verifying DKIM with dig and Online Tools - Learn how to verify your DKIM configuration using dig and online verification tools.
- Verifying DMARC with dig and Online Tools - Guide to verifying DMARC records using dig and online tools.
- Rotate DNSSEC Keys - Step-by-step instructions for rotating DNSSEC keys.
Troubleshooting DNS issues
Resolve common DNS problems and configuration issues:
- Troubleshooting DNSimple Name Servers - Solutions for common issues with DNSimple name servers.
- Troubleshooting Domain Resolution Issues - Guide to diagnosing and fixing domain resolution problems.
- Troubleshooting Record Resolution Issues - Learn how to troubleshoot specific DNS record resolution problems.
DNS reference
Technical specifications, formats, and reference documentation:
- Supported DNS Records and DNS Record Types - Complete list of DNS record types supported by DNSimple.
- A Record Format - Technical reference for A record format and syntax.
- AAAA Record Format - Technical reference for AAAA record format and syntax.
- ALIAS Record Reference - Complete reference guide for ALIAS records.
- CAA Record Format and Policy Tags - Technical reference for CAA record format and available policy tags.
- CNAME Record Reference - Complete reference guide for CNAME records.
- DKIM Record Reference - Technical reference for DKIM record format and configuration.
- DMARC Record Reference - Complete reference guide for DMARC record syntax and policies.
- HINFO Record Reference - Technical reference for HINFO record format.
- MX Record Reference - Complete reference guide for MX record format and priority values.
- POOL Record Reference - Technical reference for POOL record format and load balancing configuration.
- PTR Record Reference - Complete reference guide for PTR records used in reverse DNS.
- SOA Record Reference - Technical reference for SOA record format and all fields.
- SPF Record Syntax and Validation Reference - Complete reference for SPF record syntax and validation rules.
- SRV Record Format and Components Reference - Technical reference for SRV record format and all components.
- SSHFP Record Reference - Complete reference guide for SSHFP record format.
- TXT Record Format and Long Record Handling - Technical reference for TXT record format and handling long records.
- URL Record Format and Technical Details - Complete reference guide for URL record format and technical specifications.
- dig Reference Guide - Comprehensive reference guide for the dig command-line tool.
- DNSimple Interface Reference for DNS Management - Complete reference for DNSimple’s web interface and DNS management features.
- Understanding DNSimple’s Record Editors Simple vs. Field-Specific - Reference guide explaining the differences between simple and field-specific record editors.
- IPv6 Domain Resolution Reference - Technical reference for IPv6 domain resolution and AAAA records.
- Resolving with DNSimple - Technical reference for displaying and embedding a “Resolving with DNSimple” badge on websites.