Alibaba Cloud DNS:How do I configure DNS settings for a domain name that is registered with a third-party DNS service provider?

Overview

If you use Alibaba Cloud DNS to configure DNS settings for a domain name that is registered with a third-party DNS service provider, you must perform the following steps:

1. add a domain name.

2. Add a DNS record.

3. Change the DNS servers for the domain name.

4. Wait 48 hours for the changes of the DNS servers to take effect globally.

Add a DNS record

1. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud DNS console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Domain Name Resolution. Then, click Add Domain Name on the Authoritative Domain Names tab.

   

3. In the Add Domain Name dialog box, enter the domain name for which you want to configure DNS settings and click OK.

   

4. On the Domain Name Resolution page, click DNS Settings in the Actions column of the domain name.

   

5. On the DNS Settings page, click Add DNS Record.

   

6. In the Add DNS Record pane, set the required parameters and click OK.

   

   Note

   If you want to resolve the domain name to www.xxx.com, enter www in the Hostname field. If you want to resolve the domain name to xxx.com, enter @ in the Hostname field or leave the Hostname field empty. For more information about DNS record types, see Add a DNS record.

Change the DNS servers for the domain name

After the DNS record is added, you must change the DNS servers for the domain name to the DNS servers assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS at your domain name registrar. To change the DNS servers for the domain name, perform the following steps:

1. On the Domain Name Resolution page, click DNS Settings in the Actions column of the domain name.

2. On the DNS Settings page, click View DNS Servers.

3. Change the DNS servers for the domain name to the DNS servers assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS at your domain name registrar.

   

   Important

   To ensure that the DNS settings take effect as expected, take note of the following points within 48 hours after you change the DNS servers:

   1. Do not modify the DNS records. If you want to modify the DNS records during this period, make sure that you modify them at both the original and new DNS service providers. This ensures DNS data consistency between the original and new DNS service providers.

   2. Keep the DNS records at the original DNS service provider for at least one week.

Wait 48 hours for the changes of the DNS servers to take effect globally

After the DNS servers are changed for the domain name, the changes are gradually synchronized to global DNS servers within 48 hours. During the synchronization, it takes some time for local DNS servers around the world to detect the changes, because the local DNS servers cache the previous DNS records of the domain name and it takes time for them to update the DNS records. Therefore, DNS requests may still be sent to the original DNS servers. Please be patient during this period. For more information, see FAQ about the time when DNS settings take effect.