Managing DNS records in My WebOké (with examples for CNAME, TXT, and external services)

DNS records determine where your domain name points to: which server your website runs on, where your email is delivered, and which services may use your domain. In My WebOké you manage the DNS of your domains completely yourself. In this article you'll read how that works, with examples for CNAME and TXT records and for linking an external service.

Viewing and adjusting DNS records

1. Log in to My WebOké.
2. Go to My Domains and choose the domain you want to manage.
3. Open the DNS tab. You'll now see all the records of your domain.
4. Click + Add record for a new record, or Edit or Delete behind an existing record. All common record types are supported, such as A, AAAA, CNAME, MX and TXT.

In the window you fill in the Name. For the domain itself you type @. For a subdomain you only type the first part, for example www or shop: your domain name is automatically added after it. Below the field you see the full name.

Make a backup first

Are you going to make bigger changes, for example pointing your website to another server or adjusting email records? Make a backup of your DNS first. The window has the Make a backup now button for that, and also reminds you of it. If something goes wrong, you restore the backup and everything works like before again. You can read how that works in Making and restoring a backup of your DNS.

Example: a CNAME record

A CNAME record makes a name point to another name. Webshop platforms, newsletter services and Microsoft 365 often ask for this. Say you want shop.yourdomain.com to point to shops.exampleplatform.com.

1. Click + Add record and choose the type CNAME.
2. Under Name, fill in only shop, so without your domain name.
3. Under Points to, fill in the target name, with a dot at the end: shops.exampleplatform.com.
4. Click Save record.

Type: CNAME   Naam: shop   Waarde: shops.voorbeeldplatform.com.

What's not possible with a CNAME?

• No CNAME on the domain itself (@). Your MX and NS records are also there. If a service asks for your main domain, use an A record with the IP address the service provides.
• No CNAME next to another record with the same name. If there's already an A record for shop, remove that first.

More explanation: CNAME records and the dot at the end.

Example: a TXT record for verification

Services like Google Search Console, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Facebook want to know if the domain is yours. They give you a code that you put in your DNS as a TXT record.

1. Click + Add record and choose the type TXT.
2. Does the service ask for a record on the domain itself (or on @)? Then fill in @ under Name. Does the service ask for its own name, such as _github-challenge-yourcompany, then fill in only that name, without your domain name after it.
3. Paste the code you received from the service under the value. You don't need to type quotation marks.
4. Click Save record. Then go back to the service and click verify there.

Type: TXT   Naam: @   Waarde: google-site-verification=abc123...

You're allowed to have multiple TXT records alongside each other, even with the same name. Only an SPF record (starts with v=spf1) may occur only once. More explanation: TXT records for verification.

Linking your domain or email to an external service

Do you use a webshop platform like Shopify, or do you send newsletters via a service like Mailchimp, MailerLite or Brevo? Then that service will ask you to add a few records. Always copy exactly what the service specifies.

• Website or webshop with another provider: usually an A record for your main domain (@) with the IP address of the service, and a CNAME record for www or a subdomain like shop. See Adding or changing an A or AAAA record.
• Verification: a TXT record with a code, as above.
• DKIM for a newsletter service: usually CNAME or TXT records with a name like k1._domainkey. Copy the name without your domain name after it, and for a CNAME put a dot at the end of the value. See Enabling and checking DKIM.
• Adding to SPF: if the service sends mail on behalf of your domain, don't create a second SPF record, but add to the existing record with the service's include:. Leave include:webawere.nl in place, because your website and forms send mail via our servers. See Setting up and adding to SPF.

v=spf1 a mx include:webawere.nl include:spf.voorbeelddienst.com ~all

Checking if it works

Changes are applied immediately. Due to DNS caching (the TTL of a record), it can take up to an hour before everyone on the internet sees the change, in exceptional cases up to 24 hours. Doesn't a verification work right away? Wait a quarter of an hour and try again.

Want to see if your records are set correctly? Open the Domain / Email health card on the domain page in My WebOké and click Check again, or use the public tool Domain health. See also Domain and email health: checking and restoring.

Good to know

• Behind each record type in the list is a question mark. Click it for an explanation in plain words of what that record does.
• For MX, SPF, DMARC, CAA and SRV, the window has extra help. See DNS helpers: MX, SPF, DMARC, CAA and SRV.
• Not sure which record you need? Feel free to contact us via the Support Center, then we'll think along with you.

Might be interesting to read: The history of the Domain name

See also in the WebOké manual: Managing DNS: adding, changing and deleting records. In the DirectAdmin manual: Opening DNS Management and reading the records.

Extensive explanation with screenshots: DNS in My WebOké and with external nameservers such as Cloudflare in the DirectAdmin manual.