Custom DNS

This is an advanced configuration page.

It is possible to set custom DNS records on domains hosted here.

Set custom DNS records

You can set additional DNS records, such as if you have a website running on another server, to add DKIM records for external mail providers, or for various confirmation-of-ownership tests.

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Leave the left field blank to set a record on the chosen domain name, or enter a subdomain.

Using a secondary nameserver

If your TLD requires you to have two separate nameservers, you can either set up external DNS and ignore the DNS server on this box entirely, or use the DNS server on this box but add a secondary (aka “slave”) nameserver.

If you choose to use a secondary nameserver, you must find a secondary nameserver service provider. Your domain name registrar or virtual cloud provider may provide this service for you. Once you set up the secondary nameserver service, enter the hostname (not the IP address) of their secondary nameserver in the box below.

Multiple secondary servers can be separated with commas or spaces (i.e., ns2.hostingcompany.com ns3.hostingcompany.com). To enable zone transfers to additional servers without listing them as secondary nameservers, add xfr:IPADDRESS.

Custom DNS API

Use your box’s DNS API to set custom DNS records on domains hosted here. For instance, you can create your own dynamic DNS service.

Usage:

curl -X VERB [-d "value"] --user {email}:{password} https://{{hostname}}/admin/dns/custom[/qname[/rtype]]

(Brackets denote an optional argument.)

Verbs

Verb Usage
GET Returns matching custom DNS records as a JSON array of objects. Each object has the keys qname, rtype, and value. The optional qname and rtype parameters in the request URL filter the records returned in the response. The request body (-d "...") must be omitted.
PUT Sets a custom DNS record replacing any existing records with the same qname and rtype. Use PUT (instead of POST) when you only have one value for a qname and rtype, such as typical A records (without round-robin).
POST Adds a new custom DNS record. Use POST when you have multiple TXT records or round-robin A records. (PUT would delete previously added records.)
DELETE Deletes custom DNS records. If the request body (-d "...") is empty or omitted, deletes all records matching the qname and rtype. If the request body is present, deletes only the record matching the qname, rtype and value.

Parameters

Parameter Value
email The email address of any administrative user here.
password That user’s password.
qname The fully qualified domain name for the record you are trying to set. It must be one of the domain names or a subdomain of one of the domain names hosted on this box. (Add mail users or aliases to add new domains.)
rtype The resource type. Defaults to A if omitted. Possible values: A (an IPv4 address), AAAA (an IPv6 address), TXT (a text string), CNAME (an alias, which is a fully qualified domain name — don’t forget the final period), MX, or SRV.
value For PUT, POST, and DELETE, the record’s value. If the rtype is A or AAAA and value is empty or omitted, the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the remote host is used (be sure to use the -4 or -6 options to curl). This is handy for dynamic DNS!

Strict SPF and DMARC records will be added to all custom domains unless you override them.

Examples:

Try these examples. For simplicity the examples omit the --user me@mydomain.com:yourpassword command line argument which you must fill in with your email address and password.

# sets laptop.mydomain.com to point to the IP address of the machine you are executing curl on
curl -X PUT https://{{hostname}}/admin/dns/custom/laptop.mydomain.com

# deletes that record and all A records for that domain name
curl -X DELETE https://{{hostname}}/admin/dns/custom/laptop.mydomain.com

# sets a CNAME alias
curl -X PUT -d "bar.mydomain.com." https://{{hostname}}/admin/dns/custom/foo.mydomain.com/cname

# deletes that CNAME and all CNAME records for that domain name
curl -X DELETE https://{{hostname}}/admin/dns/custom/foo.mydomain.com/cname

# adds a TXT record using POST to preserve any previous TXT records
curl -X POST -d "some text here" https://{{hostname}}/admin/dns/custom/foo.mydomain.com/txt

# deletes that one TXT record while preserving other TXT records
curl -X DELETE -d "some text here" https://{{hostname}}/admin/dns/custom/foo.mydomain.com/txt