DNS management is an important part of domain management, as it determines how domain traffic is directed to different services, such as websites, email services, or other external services. In this article, we'll go through the most common DNS record modifications in the Plesk control panel: changing A records, editing MX records, adding CNAME records and managing SPF records.

However, you shouldn't change this information unless you're sure the change is necessary. If you have questions, our customer support is happy to help with DNS matters.

The general guideline is that DNS records should usually be modified - not created new. If your domain already has a record and you create a new record instead of modifying the existing one, your domain will now have two conflicting records.

Deleting Records

1. Editing A Records

An A record (Address Record) defines the IP address for a domain (e.g., domain.fi) or subdomain (subdomain.domain.fi) to which traffic is directed. This record is important, for example, when your website is moved to a new server or directed to another service/server.

Instructions for editing A records in Plesk:

• Log in to the Plesk control panel.
• Go to "Websites & Domains".
• Select the domain whose A record you want to edit, and click "Hosting & DNS" -> "DNS".
• Find the A record in the list that corresponds to your domain (e.g., domain.fi). You don't need to worry about other possible records, such as webmail.domain.fi or mail.domain.fi, unless you want to make changes to these services as well.
• Click on the record name to edit it, in this example "hostaan.net" or generally "domain.fi"
• Enter the new IP address and click "OK".
• The TTL field defines the validity time - it can be left as default (empty)
• Finally, confirm the changes by clicking "Update"

Note: Changes can take up to 24 hours to take effect, as DNS record updates depend on name server caches.

Some services use only A records (IPv4). Our servers also use AAAA records (IPv6) in addition to this. If you direct traffic to such a service that uses only A records, you must delete the corresponding AAAA record from your domain.

If you direct traffic to a service that uses both A and AAAA records, remember to update both records for domain.fi.

2. Editing MX Records

MX records (Mail Exchange) determine which email server the domain's email traffic is directed to. This record is used to direct email traffic to external services, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

Instructions for editing MX records in Plesk:

• In Plesk, go to "Websites & Domains" and select the domain.
• Click "DNS Settings".
• Find the existing MX records in the list and delete them if they are no longer in use. Another option is to edit the current record.
• For example, if you're implementing Google Workspace email service, you need to edit the record or delete Hostaan's MX record, for example:
  
  domain.fi.        MX (10)    mail.domain.fi.
  
  
• If you deleted the MX record in the previous step, add a new MX record as follows:
  • Click "Add Record".
  • Select MX as the record type.
  • You can leave the email domain field empty
  • The TTL field defines the validity time - it can be left as default (empty)
  • Enter the email server address (e.g., smtp.google.com) in the "Mail Exchange Server" field and priority (e.g., 1). In this example mail.hostaan.net
• Save the changes.

Note: If you use an external email service, make sure that SPF and DKIM records are also configured correctly. You can get more information from your external email service provider.

3. Managing SPF Records

SPF record (Sender Policy Framework) is a TXT-type DNS record that specifies which servers (or IP addresses) are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain. This helps prevent email abuse and improves email delivery reliability, especially to Gmail and Outlook services.

Instructions for editing SPF records in Plesk:

• Go to "Websites & Domains" and select the domain.
• Click "DNS Settings".
• Find the existing SPF record in the list (TXT record that starts with v=spf1).
• If/when the record already exists, click "Edit" and add the necessary servers to the record. Initial situation for example: v=spf1 +a +mx +a:fi30.hostaan.fi ~all
• If you want to add Google's SPF information, the modified SPF record would be:
  v=spf1 +a +mx +a:fi30.hostaan.fi include:_spf.google.com ~all
• Save the changes.

Important:

• There can only be one SPF record per domain. All additions are made by editing the existing record.
• The SPF record must be up to date and include all servers that send email on behalf of your domain.

SPF Record Formatting

The SPF record must follow the following structure:

• Beginning: v=spf1
• Servers: List all allowed servers (e.g., +a +mx include:spf.service.fi +ip4:94.237.26.143).
• End: all (e.g., ~all or -all).

Example:

v=spf1 +a include:_spf.google.com +ip4:1.2.3.4 ~all

In this example, the website server (a), Google Workspace, and IP address 1.2.3.4 are allowed.

4. Managing CNAME Records

A CNAME record (or Canonical Name) is a DNS record that defines where users can find your website, for example your subdomain. This record is often used to direct the "www" subdomain address.

Example of a CNAME record:

This record directs traffic arriving at www.hostaan.net to the same address as hostaan.net (without www). These two addresses - www.hostaan.net and hostaan.net - are two completely separate web addresses from a network traffic perspective, but they are usually directed to the same place for clarity.

Instructions for adding a CNAME record in Plesk:

Summary

DNS management on a Plesk server is straightforward but requires precision. Proper configuration of A, MX, SPF, and CNAME records is important for the functioning of website and email services. If you're unsure about editing records, we recommend contacting our customer service or using tools such as SPF Record Generator.

Remember that DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to take effect.

If you want to change your domain's name servers, you need to contact our customer service