Managing DNS records — A, CNAME, MX, TXT explained.

Most domains need 4-5 DNS records to work properly. Here's what each does and when to use it.

A record

Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. The most common record.

Name: @           Type: A    Value: 5.9.109.61
Name: www         Type: A    Value: 5.9.109.61

@ means the root (yourdomain.com itself). www is a separate record for www.yourdomain.com.

When to edit: pointing your domain at a different server.

AAAA record

Like A, but for IPv6. Optional but recommended.

Name: @    Type: AAAA    Value: 2a01:4f9:c011:a234::1

CNAME record

Aliases one hostname to another hostname (not an IP). Useful when the target IP might change.

Name: shop     Type: CNAME    Value: shopify-store.myshopify.com
Name: blog     Type: CNAME    Value: yourdomain.com

Cannot use CNAME on the root (@) — that's against the spec. Use A or AAAA there.

MX record

Tells the world where to deliver mail for your domain.

Name: @    Type: MX    Priority: 10    Value: mail.yourdomain.com

Lower priority = higher preference. If multiple MX records exist, mail tries the lowest first, falls back to higher numbers.

For Google Workspace mail:

@  MX  1   aspmx.l.google.com
@  MX  5   alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
@  MX  5   alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
@  MX  10  alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
@  MX  10  alt4.aspmx.l.google.com

TXT record

Free-form text. Used for verification (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), SPF, DKIM, DMARC.

@    TXT    "v=spf1 +a +mx include:_spf.google.com ~all"

How to edit in cPanel

1. cPanel → Zone Editor
2. Click Manage next to your domain
3. Add / Edit / Delete records as needed
4. Changes save instantly to the authoritative server, but other DNS resolvers cache for the TTL value (usually 1-6 hours)

How to edit in the Rivervo panel

If you're using our nameservers (recommended for most), DNS edits also live in Panel → Domains → [your domain] → DNS Records. Same data, just a friendlier UI than cPanel's Zone Editor.

TTL — Time To Live

Each record has a TTL value in seconds. 3600 (1 hour) is a reasonable default. Lower values (300 = 5 minutes) make changes propagate faster but increase DNS query load.

Set TTL to 300 the day before you plan to change records — when you make the change, propagation is much faster.

Validating records

After saving, check propagation:

dig +short yourdomain.com
dig +short -t MX yourdomain.com
dig +short -t TXT yourdomain.com

Or use whatsmydns.net to see what resolvers around the world currently report.