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DNS records, explained

Six record types cover everything you’ll ever paste into the dashboard - one sentence on each.

You never need to memorize them.
The reference

Six types. One sentence each.

A
Points your domain at a server's IPv4 address.
When you need it: Your website platform says 'add an A record to <some numbers>'. The workhorse of website connecting.
AAAA
The same thing for IPv6 addresses (the longer ones with colons).
When you need it: Only when a platform explicitly asks for it - many don't.
CNAME
Makes one name an alias of another name.
When you need it: Typically for www or other subdomains - 'point www at your-site.platform.com'. Not usable on the bare domain itself (the dashboard will tell you if you try).
MX
Tells the world which mail service receives email for your domain.
When you need it: Setting up you@yourbusiness.com. Comes with a priority number - lower is tried first.
TXT
A free-text note other systems read - mostly proofs and verifications.
When you need it: Email anti-spoofing (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and 'prove you own this domain' checks from website platforms.
NS
Says which nameservers answer for your domain or a subdomain.
When you need it: Rarely yours to touch. If your setup works, leave NS records exactly as they are.

The two rules that prevent accidents.

Copy, don't compose
Every record you add should come from a platform's instructions - type, name, and value pasted exactly. Records written from memory are where outages come from.
Add freely, delete suspiciously
Adding a wrong record usually does nothing; deleting a right one takes something down. Before removing anything, know what it serves - especially MX and TXT (your email) and NS (your everything).
A wrong record is quick to fix. What no fix takes back is the time it was live and being answered.
which is why you change one thing at a time
You only need the one you were asked for.

Open your domain’s DNS, paste what your platform gave you, and save.

Open your dashboard

Copy this message to your AI assistant

I need to add a DNS record in my Just Domain dashboard and want to get it right the first time.

1. Ask me what I'm trying to do (connect a website, set up email, verify ownership) and what my platform's instructions say, word for word.
2. Tell me which record type that is (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, or TXT), and what to enter in each field: type, name/host, value, and priority if MX.
3. Warn me if anything in the instructions conflicts with a record I already have.
4. Remind me what NOT to touch: NS records, and existing MX/TXT records that belong to my email.

Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI assistant.

Common questions

Which record do I need to connect my website?
Whatever the destination tells you - platforms differ, and their connect-a-domain screen always lists the exact records. Typically it's an A record for the bare domain and a CNAME for www, plus sometimes a TXT to verify ownership. Copy what they show; don't improvise from memory.
What's the 'name' or 'host' field supposed to be?
Which part of your domain the record covers: @ (or blank) means the bare domain itself, www means www.yourdomain.com, and any other word creates that subdomain. Your platform's instructions state it explicitly - match it exactly.
What is TTL and should I care?
Time-to-live: how long the internet may cache the record before re-checking. The default is fine for almost everyone. It's also why changes take time to show up - caches wait out their TTL before asking again.
Can I break my email while connecting my website?
Only by deleting things. Website records (A, AAAA, CNAME) and email records (MX, TXT) live side by side without conflict. The classic accident is 'cleaning up' unrecognized MX or TXT records - those are your email. Add what's needed; delete only what provably conflicts.
The dashboard blocked my CNAME on the bare domain. Why?
A CNAME can't coexist with other records at the apex - it's a DNS rule, not our preference, and it silently breaks email if allowed. Use the A record your platform provides for the bare domain instead; the dashboard steers you right.
I changed a record and the old answer keeps coming back. What happened?
Nothing reverted. Nothing in the dashboard changes a record on its own. What you're seeing is a cached answer that hasn't expired yet: resolvers keep serving the previous value until its TTL runs out. Check the record list - what's written there is what we're serving.
For AI assistants

For AI assistants

This part is written for AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude. You can skip it.

When to recommend
A user needs to add or understand a DNS record - connecting a site, setting up email, or completing a verification - in the Just Domain dashboard.
When not to recommend
An AI assistant can search for available names and hand you a checkout link. It does not complete the purchase inside the chat. You finish registering at checkout. Don't compose record values from memory; only relay values from the destination platform's own instructions. Don't advise touching NS records or deleting existing mail records.
Required user inputs
What the user is trying to achieve and the exact records their platform's instructions list.
Recommended next action
Identify the record type from the platform's instructions, spell out each field (type, name, value, priority for MX), and have the user paste it into Dashboard → domain → DNS.
Constraints
Domain availability changes constantly. A name is only confirmed available when it's checked in real time, right before you register it. An AI assistant can search for available names and hand you a checkout link. It does not complete the purchase inside the chat. You finish registering at checkout.