This article explains in detail DNS records of types A and AAAA. A general guide to DNS records and their setup in the customer administration can be found in the article DNS – Domain Records.
In this article you will learn:
A Record Types
A records are used to specify the IPv4 address of the server that hosts your website. Almost all VEDOS services have this address. If you host your website elsewhere, find out whether you point the domain to the service using an A record or another type (AAAA, ALIAS/CNAME).
An IPv4 address is a numerical designation of a computer on a network. It has a format such as 46.28.105.2. Although this addressing version is already outdated, it is still very widespread, and some services do not yet offer an alternative, which is the newer IPv6 address specified in AAAA records.
An A record supports only an address; it does not allow specifying a port at the same time.
Finding the service IPv4 address
All VEDOS hosting services have an IPv4 address, except for VPS SSD servers, where the IPv4 address is an additional service. You can find the address in the customer administration in the service detail. If you already know it, continue with the chapter Entering A records.
You can access the VEDOS service detail by following these steps:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select the service type: Hosting services Webhosting, Hosting WP, WMS or WebSite, or Server services VPS ON, VPS SSD or Dedicated.
- Select in the list the service whose IPv4 address you want to find.
Open service detail:
Continue according to the service type.
- For Webhosting (including WMS Webhosting) and WebSite you will find the IPv4 address in the Service addresses table.
- For VPS HDD, VPS SSD and Dedicated servers you will find the IPv4 address in the IPv4 address table.
- For VPS ON you will find the IPv4 address in the Assigned IP addresses table.
If the service whose IPv4 address you want to find is not at VEDOS, look for the service's help or contact its provider's support.
Entering A records
A general guide to setting DNS records in the customer administration can be found in the article DNS – Domain Records.
If the domain uses different DNS servers, automatic or manual changes to VEDOS records will not affect its behavior.
Basic A records usually contain one record for the main domain (with an empty name) and one record for all subdomains that are not specified elsewhere in the records (with the * character in the name):
Name TTL Type Data (empty) 300 A (server IPv4 address) * 300 A (server IPv4 address)
Whenever you specify any record for a subdomain (except CNAME), if that subdomain should point to an IPv4 address, create the corresponding A record for it as well. If no other record exists for the subdomain, it will point to the IPv4 address of the server specified by the record named *.
Enter the subdomain A record according to the pattern:
Name TTL Type Data (subdomain-name) 300 A (server IPv4 address)
Under certain circumstances, A records can be set automatically. Our system sets DNS records on VEDOS DNS servers.
Automatic DNS record setup is done by:
- Checking the DNS record setup when creating and renaming Webhosting or the WebSite service, or when setting up an alias.
- Pointing the domain to the service according to the guide Domains – Pointing to Services.
Examples of A records
Example: The domain and all subdomains point to IP address 46.28.105.1:
Example: The domain and almost all subdomains point to IP address 46.28.105.1, but the eshop subdomain points to address 46.28.105.3:
Example: Domain pointed to the default VEDOS server via A and AAAA records:
AAAA Record Type
AAAA records are used to specify the IPv6 address of the server that hosts your website. Many VEDOS services have this address, except for some webhostings. If you host your website elsewhere, find out whether you point the domain to the service using an AAAA record or another type (A, ALIAS/CNAME).
An IPv6 address is a numerical designation of a computer on a network. It has a format such as 2a02:2b88:1:4::16. This addressing version is new; some newer devices prefer it, while others, older ones, cannot use it. Therefore domains still mostly use the IPv4 address, which you enter using A records.
An AAAA DNS record is optional and many services do not support it. If your service is not accessible via IPv6 address, but you have AAAA records for it, this may be an old configuration. Make sure the AAAA records really do not point to your service, and then remove them.
Finding the service IPv6 address
Almost all VEDOS hosting services have an IPv6 address, except for older webhostings, which use only the IPv4 address system-wide. You can find the address in the customer administration in the service detail. If you already know it, continue with the chapter Entering AAAA records.
You can access the VEDOS service detail by following these steps:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select the service type: Hosting services Webhosting or WebSite, or Server services VPS ON, VPS SSD or Dedicated.
- Select in the list the service whose IPv6 address you want to find.
Open service detail:
Continue according to the service type.
- For Webhosting (including WMS) and WebSite you will find the IPv6 address in the Service addresses table. If the WWW IPv6 row is empty, the webhosting does not support IPv6 addresses system-wide. If you need to use an IPv6 address with such a webhosting, contact customer support ⧉. State the webhosting name and request an IPv6 address assignment.
- Server services usually use an entire range instead of a single IPv6 address. The specific addresses need to be set in the administration or system of the individual services according to the IPv6 address guides for VPS SSD and VPS ON.
If the service whose IPv6 address you want to find is not at VEDOS, look for the service's help or contact its provider's support.
Entering AAAA records
A general guide to setting DNS records in the customer administration can be found in the article DNS – Domain Records.
If the domain uses different DNS servers, automatic or manual changes to VEDOS records will not affect its behavior.
Basic AAAA records usually contain one record for the main domain (with an empty name) and one record for all subdomains that are not specified elsewhere in the records (with the * character in the name):
Name TTL Type Data
(empty) 300 AAAA (server IPv6 address)
* 300 AAAA (server IPv6 address)
Whenever you specify any record for a subdomain (except CNAME), if that subdomain should point to an IPv6 address, create the corresponding AAAA record for it as well. If no other record exists for the subdomain, it will point to the IPv6 address of the server specified by the record named *.
Enter the subdomain AAAA record according to the pattern:
Name TTL Type Data
(subdomain-name) 300 AAAA (server IPv6 address)
Under certain circumstances, AAAA records can be set automatically. Our system sets DNS records on VEDOS DNS servers.
Automatic DNS record setup is done by:
- Checking the DNS record setup when creating and renaming Webhosting or the WebSite service, or when setting up an alias.
- Pointing the domain to the service according to the guide Domains – Pointing to Services.
Examples of AAAA records
Example: The domain and all subdomains point to IP address 2a02:2b88:1:4::11:
Example: The domain and almost all subdomains point to IP address 2a02:2b88:1:4::11, but the eshop subdomain points to address 2a02:2b88:1:4::17:
Example: Domain pointed to the default VEDOS server via A and AAAA records:
Example: Domain pointed to a new service via an A record, but the default VEDOS server remained in the AAAA records:
Frequently Asked Questions
My web hosting provider did not give me any IPv4/IPv6 address, what should I do?
If you have an IPv4 address, set it in the domain's A records, and the IPv6 address in AAAA. However, some older devices do not support IPv6. Many providers also handle pointing the domain to their services using an ALIAS (ANAME) or CNAME record.
What is the relationship between A and AAAA records?
Records of both types should point to the same server. Otherwise, visitors may see different information. Some servers do not use IPv4 or IPv6 addresses - so for the domain, specify only the records that actually lead to the required server.
How do I know that the A/AAAA records point to my webhosting?
The correct website is displayed. If you run the same website version on multiple servers, use diagnostic tools, for example domain or webhosting diagnostics in the customer administration. Note: if you changed DNS servers within the last 48 hours, the information in diagnostics may be out of date.
How do I point the eshop subdomain somewhere other than the rest of the website?
Create its own A record, or AAAA. Alternatively, use a CNAME record.