Configure Domain Name System (DNS) records for a web server. This allows users to access your website using a domain name, such as example.com, instead of an IP address. This topic describes how to complete a basic website DNS configuration in five minutes.
Preparations
Have a domain name.
The domain name must be in the domain name list of Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public DNS. If the domain name is not listed:
If you purchased the domain name from Alibaba Cloud, it is added automatically. If you do not have a domain name, you can purchase one from Alibaba Cloud Domain Names.
If you purchased the domain name from a third-party registrar, you must manually add it to Public Zone and change the DNS server addresses of the domain name. For more information, see Smoothly migrate a domain name to Alibaba Cloud DNS.
You can obtain the public IP address of the server.
If your service is deployed on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, you can log on to the ECS console to view the public IP address of the instance. For example, 47.100.XX.XX.
If you purchased web hosting space, you can contact your provider to obtain the service endpoint.
Ensure that the website service is functioning properly.
The web application is running on the server and can be accessed using its IP address. The server's firewall or security group must allow inbound traffic on port 80 (HTTP) and port 443 (HTTPS).
Procedure
Step 1. Add a DNS record for the root domain (@)
Go to the Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Zone page, find the target domain name, and click Settings.
Click Add Record. Add a DNS record and set the Hostname parameter to
@. For more information about the parameters, see Add a DNS record.Parameter
Recommended Value
Description
Record Type
APoints a domain name to an IPv4 address.
Hostname
@Represents the root domain.
Query Source
Default
Applies to requests from all sources.
Record Value
Your server's public IP addressEnter the IP address that you obtained in the Preparations section.
TTL/Record Values Load Strategy
10 minutes (600 seconds)
Keep the default value. For more information, see Add a DNS record.
Step 2. Verify that the DNS record is effective
DNS records take time to propagate globally. The propagation is usually complete within the 10-minute TTL that you set. You can verify the record in the following ways:
Browser access: In a browser, enter
http://your-domain.comand confirm that you can access your website.Command-line tool: On your computer, open a terminal or command prompt and run the following commands. Check whether the returned IP address matches the one that you configured.
nslookup your-domain.com dig your-domain.com
Limits
DNS and ports
The core function of DNS is to translate a domain name into an IP address. DNS cannot detect or specify a port number.
When you access a domain name in a browser, the browser sends a request to port
80(HTTP) or port443(HTTPS) on the server by default.If your web service runs on a non-standard port, such as
8080, users must include the port number when they access the service, for example,http://example.com:8080. Non-standard ports are generally not suitable for public websites.
Solution: To use a non-standard port, you can configure a reverse proxy, such as a self-managed Nginx reverse proxy, on the server or use Application Load Balancer (ALB) to forward traffic from port 80 or 443 to the actual port of the backend service. This hides the port details from users.
Billing
The Public Zone feature includes a free tier. Adding basic DNS records such as
AandCNAMErecords is free.The Free Edition does not provide a Service-Level Agreement (SLA). For higher quality and more stable DNS services, you can purchase a paid instance. For more information, see Purchase and bind domain names.
FAQ
Why is my domain name still inaccessible after I add the DNS record?
How do I point all undefined subdomains, such as blog.example.com, to the root website?
What do I do if a "DNS record conflict" error occurs?
Related topics
For a detailed description of the parameters for adding a DNS record, see Add a DNS record.
You can also see Methods for testing DNS record validity to confirm that the record is effective. If the DNS record is not effective, see Quickly troubleshoot DNS resolution failures.
If a DNS record conflict error occurs when you add a record, see Rules for DNS record conflicts.
To add a wildcard DNS record with the host set to *, see Wildcard domain names.
If you encounter issues during the setup, see the following documents:
For issues that occur when you add a DNS record, see FAQ about adding DNS records.
If the DNS record is not effective after configuration and you cannot identify the cause, see FAQ about DNS resolution failures or website inaccessibility.