Changing a Domain's IPv4/IPv6 Address (A/AAAA Record)
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With the IONOS name servers, you can connect your domain to a static IP address. This is possible by configuring an A record (Address Resource Record) or an AAAA record. The configuration of an A or AAAA record is required, for example, to use a IONOS domain with a Cloud Server, a Managed Cloud Hosting project or with a server that is located at a third-party provider.
If you store your own IP address for the domain, it is no longer connected to your web space or website builder at IONOS.
Notes
You have the option of specifying multiple A-Records for a (sub)domain. This function is important for certain applications, such as Squarespace.
Use domain with Squarespace.com
Under other circumstances, however, this can also lead to problems, as your applications will normally use the first IP address returned by the DNS resolver. For A-Records with multiple IP addresses, the IP addresses are returned in random order. We therefore recommend that you delete or edit existing A/AAAA records to avoid a conflict.
- Delete A/AAAA records: You can delete existing A/AAAA records at any time by clicking on the trash can icon to Delete record.
- Edit A/AAAA records: You can edit existing A/AAAA records at any time by clicking on the pencil icon to Edit record.
Check DNS settings for existing entries
On the Domains & SSL page, click on the three-dots menu under Actions for the desired domain, and then on DNS.
Check whether an A record already exists.
If an A record has already been added to the DNS settings, check the host name and the value entered. Make sure that only one A-record is listed in the DNS settings. If the A-record belongs to a service, it must be deactivated.
Customize A-Record
You can customize existing A-Records in IONOS. To do this, proceed as follows:
Select the desired A-Record and click on the PENCIL ICON under Actions and then on Edit record.
Enter the desired IP address in the Points to field.
Optional: Select the desired TTL (Time-To-Live).
By default, your settings are active immediately.
Click on Save.
Note
It is not possible to change the host name for existing A-Records. If you want to change the host name of an A-Record, add a new A-Record with the corresponding host name. Then remove the A-record that is no longer required.
Add A-Record
To add a new A-record, proceed as follows:
On the Domains & SSL page, click on the three-dots menu under Actions for the desired domain, and then on DNS.
Click on Add record and select the entry A to add an A-record.
Enter the desired host in the Host name field.
The host name determines the domain for which the A record is created. If you leave this field empty, the A-Record is created for the respective main domain (e.g. example.com). Please refer to the section "What should be entered in the Host name field?" below.Enter the desired IPv4 address in the Points to field.
Optional: Select the desired TTL (Time-To-Live).
By default, your settings are active immediately.Click on Save.
What should be entered in the Host name field?
You use the host name to specify the domain for which the A-record is created.
For subdomains, make sure that only the abbreviation of the subdomain, such as 'www', is entered and not the full domain name.
The following table shows what you need to enter in the Host name field and when:
| The A record should apply to: | To be entered in the Hostname field: | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Main domain Example: example.com | @ |
For main domains, never enter the full domain name, but either enter an @ sign or leave the field empty (this has the same effect). Entering example.com would result in the record being created for example.com.example.com. If you have several main domains, the record always applies to the domain for which you have called up the DNS settings. |
|
A subdomain Examples: www.example.com shop.example.com | www shop | For subdomains, make sure that only the abbreviation of the subdomain such as www and not the full domain name is entered. |
| All non-existent subdomains of a domain | * |
This is a so-called wildcard DNS record. With a wildcard A record, all requests to subdomains for which no explicit A record exists are resolved to the IP address specified in the wildcard A record. |
Examples of use:
- To create an A-Record for the domain example.com, enter the character @ for Host name.
- To create an A-Record for the www subdomain www.example.com, enter the text www in Host name.
- To create an A-Record that automatically applies to all subdomains for which no separate A-Record exists, enter the character * for Host name.
Adjust AAAA record
Optionally, you can also create an AAAA record to connect your domain to an IPv6 address.
To create an AAAA record, select the AAAA entry and enter the desired IPv6 address in the Points to field.
Check changes
Your changes take effect immediately at IONOS. However, it can take up to 1 hour for the change to take effect everywhere due to the decentralized structure of DNS. You can check the status of the A/AAAA record via the DNS Checker website.