DNS explained in plain English
DNS is the address book of the internet. Your domain is the name; DNS records say where each kind of traffic should go.
Do it in 3 steps in your dashboard
- 1
Open your domain
Go to My domains and click Connect my domain (or Settings) next to the domain you want to change.
- 2
Pick a ready-made setup, or add a record
Use a shortcut like Point to a website, Connect a Shopify store or Email with Google Workspace. You will see exactly what gets added before anything changes. For anything else, click Add record and choose A, CNAME, MX or TXT.
- 3
Save and wait a few minutes
Records go live right away and are usually visible worldwide within an hour. You can edit or remove any record later from the same screen.
Nameservers
Nameservers decide which system holds your DNS records. Keep ours to manage records here, or switch to your host's nameservers to manage them there. Only one system is in charge at a time.
A record
Points a name to an IPv4 address. Used for the root domain when your host gives you an IP.
CNAME record
Points a name to another name, e.g. www to your platform's hostname. Cannot be used on the root domain in most cases.
MX record
Routes email for your domain to your mail provider. Priority numbers decide the order servers are tried — lower is tried first.
TXT record
Free-text verification and mail authentication: domain ownership checks, SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
TTL and propagation
TTL is how long resolvers cache a record. Lower it before a planned change. Most changes are visible within an hour and always within 24 hours.
Need the domain first?