DNS Examples

Practical recipes for common DNS tasks. Each one uses the zcp CLI against a zone with the slug examplecom, then verifies the result with dig. Read your slug from zcp dns list. The same records work from the console and the API.

Note

Add your records before you delegate the domain to ZSoftly, then verify. See Domains for delegation and Troubleshooting for checking propagation.

Host a Website

Point the root and www at your server.

zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name @   --type A --content 203.0.113.10
zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name www --type A --content 203.0.113.10

Verify from a public resolver:

dig A example.com     +short   # 203.0.113.10
dig A www.example.com +short   # 203.0.113.10

Route Email

Add a mail server and an SPF policy. MX takes a priority in its own field.

zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name @ --type MX --content mail.example.com. --priority 10
zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name @ --type TXT --content '"v=spf1 mx -all"'

Verify:

dig MX  example.com +short   # 10 mail.example.com.
dig TXT example.com +short   # "v=spf1 mx -all"

See MX records and TXT records.

Verify Domain Ownership

Many services ask you to publish a TXT record to prove you own the domain. Paste the value they give you.

zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name @ --type TXT --content '"provider-verification=abc123"'

dig TXT example.com +short

A name holds several TXT values, so this record sits next to an SPF record already at @. See Several values per name and type.

Restrict Certificate Issuance

Allow only your certificate authority to issue certificates.

zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name @ --type CAA --content '0 issue "letsencrypt.org"'

dig CAA example.com +short   # 0 issue "letsencrypt.org"

Delegate a Subdomain

Hand subzone.example.com to another DNS provider.

zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name subzone --type NS --content ns1.other-dns.com.

dig NS subzone.example.com +short

A name and type hold several values, so a second NS record at the same name adds a second name server. See Several values per name and type.

Caution

A single NS record leaves the delegated subdomain with no redundancy. If that one name server stops answering, the subdomain stops resolving. For a production subdomain, add a second NS record at the same name.

Change a Record

There is no update action. Delete the record, then create it with the new value.

zcp dns record-delete --domain examplecom --name www --type A --yes
zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name www --type A --content 203.0.113.20

Verify the new value, allowing for the record’s TTL to expire in resolver caches:

dig A www.example.com +short   # 203.0.113.20

Remove a Record

zcp dns record-delete --domain examplecom --name subzone --type NS

Add --yes to skip the confirmation prompt in scripts.

See also: Record types, Manage DNS with the CLI, Troubleshooting