How to use Hostinger’s DNS Zone Editor

The Domain Name System (DNS) plays a central role in how the internet functions. It acts as a directory, translating domain names, like example.com into numerical IP addresses that computers can understand. This process lets your web browser locate the server hosting a website and display its content on your screen.

The DNS Zone Editor, accessible through hPanel, is a valuable tool for managing your DNS records. This is a comprehensive guide on the DNS Zone Editor – its functions, how to use it, and the best tips to use it for better domain management.

How the Domain Name System (DNS) works

Suppose you want to open the website hostinger.com on your browser. Here’s what happens behind the scenes:

1. The browser queries a DNS server. Your web browser contacts a DNS server to translate the user-friendly domain name into its corresponding IP address.
2. The DNS server locates the IP address. The DNS server consults its vast database of domain names and IP addresses to find a match for hostinger.com.
3. An IP address is returned. Once the IP address is identified, the DNS server relays this information back to your web browser.
4. The browser connects to the website. With the IP address found, your web browser can now establish a connection with the server hosting the hostinger.com website.
5. The website’s content is delivered. The server sends the content back to your browser, allowing you to see the Hostinger website displayed on your screen.

When you’re switching web hosts or pointing your domain to a different IP address, you may need to access the DNS Zone Editor through your web host’s control panel.

Hostinger clients can access this tool by going to hPanel → Websites → Dashboard → Advanced → DNS Zone Editor. Here, they can modify their domain’s DNS records, granting greater control over their website’s online visibility.

What are nameservers?

When editing DNS records, you may come across nameservers. Nameservers store all the DNS records of a domain name and use them to locate the domain’s associated IP address. They also direct traffic to the website that the domain is associated with.

When a user registers a domain name, the host provides at least two nameserver values, with the other acting as a backup if the the first one fails. Here are Hostinger’s nameservers:

ns1.dns-parking.com

ns2.dns-parking.com

To modify a domain’s DNS records, the DNS settings must include the nameservers of the website’s hosting provider. So, to use hPanel’s DNS Zone Editor, make sure that your domain points to Hostinger.

If you purchased the domain name from Hostinger, it will default to our nameservers. To verify this, navigate to hPanel → Domains → Domain portfolio and clicking Manage next to the domain name. The current nameservers will be shown under DNS/Nameservers.

For those who bought a domain name from a different domain registrar, go to your registrar’s settings and replace the existing nameservers with Hostinger’s.

Exploring Hostinger’s DNS Zone Editor

If you have a Hostinger web hosting plan, open the DNS Zone Editor by going to hPanel → Websites and select your site. Then, go to Advanced → DNS Zone Editor. Here’s what it should look like:

In case the DNS Zone Editor is inaccessible, check that your domain name already connects to your hosting plan and uses the correct nameservers.

If you only purchased a domain name at Hostinger without web hosting, go to hPanel → Domains → Domain portfolio and select the domain you’re using. Then, go to DNS / Nameservers → DNS records. You will see DNS records that you can edit, add, and remove.

What is an A record?

An A record is the main DNS record that directs a domain or a subdomain to an IPv4 address.

In the DNS Zone Editor, there are two default listings: one for the domain’s ftp subdomain and another for the main domain, represented by the @ symbol.

For example, using the domain loremipsum.com, these records will direct both ftp.loremipsum.com and loremipsum.com to the IP address 000.0.000.00.

To point the domain or its subdomains to a different IP address, simply add a new A record in the Manage DNS Records section. Here are the fields you need to fill in:

• Type. The type of DNS record you want to create.
• Name. Use @ to point the main domain to another IP address or enter a subdomain name.
• Points to. Enter the IP address that your domain or subdomain should resolve to.
• TTL (Time to Live). Specifies how long the DNS resolver should cache the query for this domain. Most hosting providers typically set this to 14400 seconds (4 hours).

After completing these fields, click Add Record.

What is a CNAME record?

A CNAME, short for Canonical Name, lets you make one domain or subdomain an alias of another domain.

For instance, if your website uses the domain loremipsum.com, you might want visitors who type www.loremipsum.com also to reach your site. The CNAME record makes this possible by pointing www.loremipsum.com to loremipsum.com.

When adding a new CNAME record, instead of entering an IP address in the Target field, you will enter the main domain name, as shown below:

If the IP address of the main domain changes in the A record, the CNAME records will automatically update to reflect this change.

What is an MX record?

An MX record, short for Mail Exchanger, specifies the mail server responsible for receiving emails sent to your domain. By default, domains from Hostinger use the following MX records:

mx1.hostinger.com

mx2.hostinger.com

These records appear in the DNS Zone Editor as shown below:

If you wish to use a third-party email hosting service, you need to remove these MX records and add new ones provided by your email service. Besides Name and TTL, you need to fill in the following fields:

• Mail server. The address of the server that will receive the emails.
• Priority. Indicates which mail server to use first. A lower number represents a higher priority.

Here is an example of an MX record using one of Google Workspace’s mail servers:

What is a TXT record?

A TXT record is a DNS entry that contains text information about a domain that is readable by external parties.

Common examples of TXT records include Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). Website owners use these to secure email exchanges from spoofing or phishing attempts. Google also uses TXT records for domain verification purposes.

The SPF TXT record specifies the IP addresses or hostnames authorized to send emails on behalf of a domain. The DKIM TXT record adds cryptographic signatures to emails to verify they come from a trustworthy source.

A domain can have multiple TXT records for various purposes but should only have one SPF and one DKIM record.

Hostinger’s DNS Zone Editor includes an SPF TXT record by default. It uses the v=spf1 tag within the TXT value, as shown here:

To add a new TXT record, follow the same steps as other entries. Then, use @ for the main domain or enter the subdomain’s name in the Name field, depending on the purpose of the information. For a DKIM record, include the selector name along with _domainkey.

Instead of a Points to field, a TXT value field will appear where you need to input the required information.

Below is an example of what the fields should look like when adding a new DKIM TXT record:

What is an AAAA record?

An AAAA record functions similarly to an A record, but it points your domain to an IPv6 address instead of an IPv4 address.

In Hostinger’s DNS Zone Editor, this record is left blank by default since many internet service providers (ISPs) and internet routers do not yet support IPv6. That said, IPv6 adoption is increasing, so you might see more usage of AAAA records in the future.

What is an NS record?

In the DNS Zone Editor, NS records list the nameserver values provided by Hostinger. These should only be edited if you intend to transfer your website to a different web host.

What is an SRV record?

An SRV record specifies the server location for a service to establish a connection. It is commonly used for protocols like VoIP and XMPP, which facilitate user communication over the Internet. By default, this entry is empty in the DNS Zone Editor.

The required information for an SRV record includes:

• Name. The service, protocol, and domain name, formatted as _service._protocol.example.com.
• Weight. Determines the order of contact if multiple SRV records have the same priority. A higher number indicates higher priority.
• Port. The port number used by the service.
• Target. The address of the destination server.
• Priority. Indicates the priority of the server. Lower numbers represent higher priority.

What is a CAA record?

A CAA record, short for Certification Authority Authorization, specifies which certificate authorities (CAs) can issue SSL certificates for a domain. This prevents unauthorized parties from issuing fake certificates.

If you have multiple subdomains, you only need to create one CAA record for the root domain, which will apply to all subdomains.

Hostinger includes the following CAA records by default:

To add a new CAA record, fill in the following fields in addition to Name and TTL:

• Flag. An unsigned integer from 0 to 255, with 0 being the default.
• Tag. Choose between issue, issuewild, and iodef:
  • Issue. Authorizes a single CA to issue any type of certificate. 
  • Issuewild. Allows the CA to issue only wildcard certificates. 
  • Iodef. Specifies the contact information for reporting CAA-related issues.
• CA domain. The domain name of the certificate authority.

Here’s an example of what you might enter to add a CAA record for Sectigo:

Resetting your DNS Zone to default settings

If an error occurs after editing the DNS zone, you can fix it by restoring the default settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the DNS Zone Editor and click the Reset DNS Records button:

Conclusion

The DNS Zone Editor allows Hostinger users to easily edit their domains’ DNS records within hPanel. The types of DNS records you can modify include:

• A record. Points to IPv4 addresses.
• CNAME record. Creates aliases for the main domain.
• MX record. Specifies mail servers for receiving emails.
• TXT record. Contains text information for security and verification.
• AAAA record. Points to IPv6 addresses.
• NS record. Lists the nameserver values.
• SRV record. Specifies the server location for a service.
• CAA record. Defines which CAs can issue SSL certificates.

We hope you refer to this guide when you need to use the DNS Zone Editor. If an error occurs, remember that you can always restore the DNS records to their default settings.