---
title: Adding DNS Records — Record Types Guide
description: How to create A AAAA CNAME MX TXT NS SRV CAA and ALIAS records.
---

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June 15, 2026

# Adding DNS Records — Record Types Guide

## How to create A AAAA CNAME MX TXT NS SRV CAA and ALIAS records

### Adding DNS Records — Record Types Guide

This article covers how to add each supported DNS record type in OpusDNS.

#### **Where to Find It**

**Path:** Left sidebar → DNS Zones → All DNS Zones → click a zone → **"Add DNS Record"** button

#### **General Steps (All Record Types)**

1. Click **"Add DNS Record"**.
2. Select the **Record Type** from the dropdown.
3. Enter the **Record Name** (subdomain or "@" for root).
4. Enter the **TTL** (Time to Live) in seconds.
5. Enter the record-specific **value(s)**.
6. Click **"Apply changes"**.

 

#### **A Record (IPv4 Address)**

Points a hostname to an IPv4 address.

- **Name:** Enter subdomain (e.g., "www") or "@" for root. Placeholder: "www"
- **Value:** Enter an IPv4 address. Placeholder: "192.168.1.1"
- **Multiple values:** Click "Add another A value" to add multiple IPs (round-robin)
- **Error if invalid:** "Invalid IPv4 address format."

**Example:** Name: `www`, Value: `93.184.216.34`, TTL: `3600`

 

#### **AAAA Record (IPv6 Address)**

Points a hostname to an IPv6 address.

- **Name:** Subdomain or "@"
- **Value:** Enter an IPv6 address. Placeholder: "2001:db8::1"
- **Error if invalid:** "Invalid IPv6 address format."

**Example:** Name: `www`, Value: `2001:db8::1`, TTL: `3600`

 

#### **CNAME Record (Canonical Name)**

Creates an alias pointing to another hostname. Only one CNAME allowed per name.

- **Name:** Enter subdomain only. Placeholder: "www". Description: "Enter subdomain name."
- **Value:** Enter the target hostname. Placeholder: "www.example.com"
- **Restrictions:**
- Cannot have the same name as the zone ("CNAME records cannot have the same name as the zone")
- Cannot coexist with other record types at the same name ("There's a non-CNAME record with this name")
- **Error if invalid:** "Invalid hostname format."

**Example:** Name: `blog`, Value: `myblog.wordpress.com`, TTL: `3600`

 

#### **MX Record (Mail Exchange)**

Directs email to mail servers with priority.

- **Name:** Usually "@" for root domain
- **Value:** Two fields per record:
- **Priority** — Numeric priority (lower = higher priority). Placeholder: "10"
- **Hostname** — Mail server hostname. Placeholder: "mail.example.com"
- **Error if invalid:** "Invalid MX record - hostname must be a valid hostname."

**Example:** Name: `@`, Priority: `10`, Hostname: `mail.example.com`, TTL: `3600`

 

#### **TXT Record (Text)**

Stores arbitrary text, commonly used for SPF, DKIM, domain verification.

- **Name:** Subdomain or "@"
- **Value:** Enter text content. Placeholder: "Hello World"
- **Note:** Long records may trigger "Record too long."

**Example:** Name: `@`, Value: `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all`, TTL: `3600`

 

#### **NS Record (Nameserver)**

Delegates a subdomain to specific nameservers.

- **Name:** The subdomain to delegate
- **Value:** Nameserver hostname. Placeholder: "ns1.example.com"
- **Error if invalid:** "Invalid hostname format."

**Example:** Name: `sub`, Value: `ns1.subdomain-provider.com`, TTL: `86400`

 

#### **SRV Record (Service)**

Specifies the location of a service (used by SIP, XMPP, etc.).

- **Name:** Must follow `_service._proto` format. Placeholder: "\_sip.\_tcp". Description: "Enter service and protocol."
- **Value:** Enter priority, weight, port, and hostname. Placeholder: "10 5 80 service.example.com."
- **Error if invalid:** "SRV record name must follow \_service.\_proto format (e.g., \_sip.\_tcp)."

**Example:** Name: `_sip._tcp`, Value: `10 5 5060 sip.example.com.`, TTL: `3600`

 

#### **CAA Record (Certificate Authority Authorization)**

Controls which certificate authorities can issue SSL certificates for your domain.

- **Name:** Usually "@" for the domain root
- **Value:** Three fields:
- **Flags** — Usually "0". Description: "CAA flags (0-255)"
- **Tag** — Choose from:
- "Authorize certificate issuance" (issue) — Allows a specific CA to issue certificates
- "Authorize wildcard certificates" (issuewild) — Allows a CA to issue wildcard certificates
- "Report policy violations" (iodef) — URL to report violations
- "Custom tag" — Enter a custom alphanumeric tag
- **Value** — The CA domain or reporting URL. Placeholder: "ca.example.com"
- **Error if invalid:** "Invalid CAA record format."

**Example:** Name: `@`, Flags: `0`, Tag: `issue`, Value: `letsencrypt.org`, TTL: `3600`

 

#### **PTR Record (Pointer / Reverse DNS)**

Maps an IP address back to a hostname (reverse DNS lookup).

- **Name:** Must be a valid reverse DNS name. Placeholder: "1.168.192.in-addr.arpa."
- **Value:** The target hostname. Placeholder: "ptr.example.com"
- **Error if invalid:** "PTR record name must be a valid reverse DNS name"

 

#### **ALIAS Record**

Similar to CNAME but can be used at the zone root. OpusDNS resolves the alias server-side.

- **Name:** Enter "@" for root domain or subdomain
- **Value:** Target hostname. Placeholder: "alias.example.com"
- **Error if invalid:** "Invalid hostname format."

**Example:** Name: `@`, Value: `myapp.herokuapp.com`, TTL: `300`

 

#### **Setting TTL Values — What to Choose**

TTL determines how long resolvers cache a record before re-checking.

**Tip:** Lower your TTL before making changes, wait for the old TTL to expire, then make your change. After confirming it works, raise the TTL back.

 

 

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