Host Record and Record Value

What is a host used for?

A host is a domain prefix. Common usages include:
www: the resolved domain name is like www.dnspod.com
@: directly resolves the domain name like dnspod.com
*: wildcard, which matches all other domain names like *.dnspod.com

What do different record types mean?

To point to an IP address provided by a hosting service provider, select an A record; to point to a domain, select a CNAME record.
A record: it refers to an address record used to specify the IPv4 address of a domain (such as 8.8.8.8). If you want to point a domain to a public IP address, you need to add an A record.
CNAME record: if you want to point a domain to another one which will be used to provide the IP address, you need to add a CNAME record.
NS record: it refers to a domain server record. If you want to authorize a subdomain to another DNS service provider for DNS resolution, you need to add an NS record.
AAAA record: it is used to specify the IPv6 address (such as ff06:0:0:0:0:0:0:c3) corresponding to a host name (or domain).
MX record: if you want to set up your mailbox so that it can receive emails, you need to add an MX record.
TXT record: if you want to identify and describe a domain, you can add a TXT record. Most TXT records are used as SPF records (for anti-spam).
SRV record: an SRV record is used to identify a server that uses a service and is commonly seen in directory management in Microsoft systems. The format of the host is service name.protocol type, such as _sip._tcp.
URL and Framed URL records: to point a domain to another existing website, you need to add a URL record.

What are different split zones used for?

A specific split zone allows users in that zone to access the IP as described below:

• Default: it must be added; otherwise, only specified split zones can access your website. To resolve your domain to two split zones, we recommend you select China Telecom IP as the Default split zone.
• China Unicom: it specifies the server IP address for China Unicom users. Other users will still access the Default split zone.
• Search Engine: it specifies a server IP address for crawling.

How do I enter a record value?

The most common practice is to enter the IP address provided by the hosting service provider, and values for different record types are as follows:

• A Record: enter your server IP address; if you don't know it, please consult your hosting service provider.
• CNAME record: enter the domain provided by your hosting service provider, such as dnspod.cn.
• MX record: enter the IP address of your email server or the domain provided by your email service provider. If you don't know it, please consult your email service provider.
• AAAA record: it is not commonly used and resolves to an IPv6 address.
• NS record: it is not commonly used. Please do not modify the two default NS records added by the system. When delegating NS, enter the DNS domain name, such as ns3.dnsv3.com.
• TXT record: there is no fixed format requirement. In most cases, TXT records are used as SPF records for anti-spam. The most typical example of a TXT record in SPF format is "v=spf1 a mx ~all", which means that only the IP addresses in the A and MX records of this domain have permission to use this domain to send emails.
• SRV record: the record value format is priority weight port hostname, for example, 0 5 5060 sipserver.dnspod.cn.
• URL and Frame URL records: the record value must be a complete address (which must contain the protocol and domain and can contain the port number and resource locator).
• TTL: time to live of the cache. It refers to the period during which a local DNS server caches your domain record information. After the cache expires, it will get the record value again from DNSPod. The default value of 600 seconds is most commonly used and doesn't need to be modified.
  • 600 (10 minutes): 600 is recommended under normal conditions.
  • 60 (1 minute): if you change the IP frequently, the modified record will take effect in one minute. If the value of 60 is used for a prolonged period, the resolution speed will be slightly reduced.
  • 3600 (1 hour): if your IP is rarely changed (like only a few times a year), 3600 is recommended, and the DNS resolution will be faster. If you want to modify the IP, change the value to 60 one day in advance, so that the modification will take effect quickly.

Why do I get a "record conflict" prompt when adding a record?

As different record types have different priorities, they cannot coexist for the same host and the same split zone; otherwise, the system will prompt a record conflict. When a record conflict occurs, you can configure only one record, and we recommend you select a different host to configure another record.

Note:

• Conflict : only one record type can be configured for the same host and the same split zone. For example, if you have already configured an A record of www for the default split zone, you cannot add a CNAME record of www for the default split zone.
• Multiple records can be configured : multiple records of the same type can be configured for the same host and the same split zone. For example, if you have already configured an A record of www for the default split zone, you can add another A record of www for it.
• No conflict : records of different types can coexist for the same host and the same split zone. For example, if you have already configured an A record of www for the default split zone, you can add an MX record of www for it.

My domain name is purchased at Wanwang and resolved at DNSPod with an A record. The console displays that an A record has already been added, but the domain name cannot be resolved when I run the ping command. Why?

After adding you domain in DNSPod, you need to first go to Wanwang to change the DNS address to f1g1ns1.dnspod.net f1g1ns2.dnspod.net and then enter a value for the record; otherwise, Wanwang's DNS addresses conflict with those of DNSPod, which will lead to wrong resolution, and the added record will not take effect.