Domain Name System (DNS) Records are database records used to associate a Domain Name to an IP address. They serve as instructions for the DNS Server, so it knows which website to serve when a Domain Name is searched and which web browser to serve it back to.
Jump to the following sections to learn more:
What Is DNS
Web browsers interact through IP addresses — a string of alpha-numeric characters separated by dots, e.g. 12.345.67.89. Your website has its own IP address and the browser you’re using now has its IP, too, which you can check by clicking the link below:
The IP address serves as a point of location. Without your Domain Name, your site visitors will have to type in your IP address on their browsers to access your website.
The DNS recognises a Domain Name by looking at its assigned IP address via its DNS Records. Without the DNS, browsers and the internet won’t know what to do with your Domain Name at all.
Types of DNS Records
DNS Records contain different syntax that instructs how the server should respond to a request. The most common records include the following:
| NS Record | Identifies the DNS servers that govern its underlying DNS Records. In other words, your NS Record tells the system where you can control all other DNS Records. This means that:
|
| A Record | Points your Domain to an IP address. |
| AAAA Record | Works the same as the A Record but points a Domain to an IPv6 address. This unique address identifies each device or node that is attached to the internet. |
| CName Record | Indicates Subdomains that may be associated with your current Domain. |
| MX Record | Points where emails should be routed when sent to a Domain email address. |
| CAA Record | Stands for Certification Authority Authorization, specifies the certificate authorities allowed to issue certificates to your Domain. |
How to Manage Your Name Servers
Most Domain registrars offer a primary and alternate Name Server — which serves as a backup if one goes offline. For Sitebeat paid plans, DNS Records are kept under the following Name Server Records:
- ns1.sitebeat.com
- ns2.sitebeat.com
If you wish to connect an external Domain Name to your Sitebeat website, contact your current Domain registrar and provide them with the Sitebeat NS Records above to get started.
The most convenient setup is getting a Domain and hosting under one provider so you can manage everything in one place. If you have a paid plan with Sitebeat, you can view your Name Servers using the steps below:
- Log In to access the Sitebeat dashboard.
- Under My Domains, click the [...] Ellipsis Icon of the domain card or website that you wish to access.
- Click Manage to access its management page.
Your NS Records will be displayed under the Name Servers section.
If you wish to connect your Sitebeat Domain to another website that’s not hosted with us, you may continue with the steps below to change your NS Records:
- Hover your cursor over a Name Server Record, and then click the Modify link that appears on its right.
- Replace your existing Name Servers with your website hosting’s NS Records, and then click Update.
Your Domain is now connected to your external website.
How to Manage Your DNS Records
If you’re using Sitebeat’s NS Records, you can easily manage your DNS Records, with the following steps:
- Log In to access the Sitebeat dashboard.
- Under My Domains, click the [...] Ellipsis Icon of the domain card or website that you wish to access.
- Click Manage to access its management page.
- Under DNS Settings, hover your cursor over a record, and then click the Modify link that appears on its right.
- Replace the record entries, and then click Update.
Note: You can click the Add Record link below it to add more entries of the same record type, or click the Delete link on its right to remove it.
We do not recommend changing the A Records associated with "yourdomain.com" and "www.yourdomain.com" as these are responsible for pointing your Domain Name to your Sitebeat website.
If you want to point to existing services you have elsewhere, like emails that are hosted externally, you can add other DNS Records with the following steps:
- Click the [...] Ellipsis Icon on the DNS Settings section, and then click Add Record.
- Click the drop-down menu to select a record type, and then click Add.
- Add your new record entries and hit Update to save.
Note: All changes made to your Name Servers and other DNS Records are applied immediately but will take up to 24 hours to propagate across the internet. Please wait for this propagation to complete, or contact us for any queries.
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