Managing DNS Records

This guide explains how to manage existing DNS records in your UK DNS Privacy Project authoritative DNS service, including editing, filtering, and organizing your records.

Accessing Your DNS Records

To access and manage the DNS records for your domain:

1. Log in to your UK DNS Privacy Project dashboard
2. Navigate to Dashboard > Authoritative Domains
3. Click on the domain name whose records you want to manage
4. Scroll down to the Records section

The Records section displays all DNS records configured for your domain in a tabular format.

Understanding the Records Table

The records table provides a comprehensive view of all DNS records for your domain:

• Name: The subdomain part or @ for the root domain
• Type: The DNS record type (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, etc.)
• Content: The value or data portion of the record
• TTL: The Time-to-Live setting for the record

Each record also has action buttons for editing and deleting.

Filtering Records

For domains with many records, you can use the filtering tools to find specific records:

Filter by Name

1. Click the Filter Records button at the top of the Records section
2. In the “Filter by Name” field, enter the subdomain or record name
3. This will filter records to show only those matching the name pattern

Filter by Type

1. Click the Filter Records button at the top of the Records section
2. In the “Filter by Type” dropdown, select the record type (A, AAAA, MX, etc.)
3. This will filter records to show only those of the selected type

Applying and Clearing Filters

• Click Apply Filters to show the filtered records
• Click Clear Filters to reset and show all records again

Sorting Records

You can sort the records table by clicking on any column header:

• Click on Name to sort alphabetically by record name
• Click on Type to group records by record type
• Click on TTL to sort by time-to-live values

Clicking a column header toggles between ascending and descending sort order.

Editing Records

To modify an existing DNS record:

1. Find the record you want to edit in the records table
2. Click the edit (pencil) icon in the actions column
3. This opens the Edit Record form with the current record values

Making Changes

In the Edit Record form:

1. Modify any field that needs updating:
   • Name: Change the subdomain
   • Type: Record types cannot be changed; you must delete and create a new record
   • Content: Update the record value
   • TTL: Adjust the time-to-live setting
2. Click Save Changes to update the record

Edit Limitations

Please note the following limitations when editing records:

• You cannot change the record type of an existing record
• Some special records (like automatically created NS records) cannot be edited
• Changing records with very high TTL values may take longer to propagate

Deleting Records

To remove a DNS record:

1. Find the record you want to delete in the records table
2. Click the delete (X) icon in the actions column
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted

Delete Safeguards

The system prevents accidental deletion of essential records:

• You cannot delete the mandatory NS records that point to our nameservers
• You cannot delete SOA records

Template-Based Management

For common configurations:

1. First create common records using our templates
2. Then customize specific values as needed

Monitoring Record Changes

After making changes to your DNS records:

1. Immediate Status: The changes are applied to our nameservers immediately
2. Propagation: Allow time for changes to propagate based on the previous TTL
3. Verification: Use the domain verification tool to confirm changes are live

Best Practices for Record Management

Organizing Records

• Use consistent naming conventions for similar records
• Group related records with similar subdomains
• Document special configurations for future reference

TTL Strategies

• Use lower TTL values (300-1800 seconds) when planning to make frequent changes
• Increase TTL values (3600-86400 seconds) for stable, rarely changed records
• Consider the impact of TTL on propagation time and DNS server load

Security Considerations

• Regularly audit your DNS records for unauthorized or outdated entries
• Use DNSSEC to protect against DNS spoofing (see Enabling DNSSEC)
• Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to protect your email domain

Troubleshooting

Changes Not Visible

If your changes don’t appear to be taking effect:

• Clear your DNS cache or use a different network to test
• Check that you’re viewing the correct domain
• Verify the record was saved successfully
• Allow sufficient time for propagation based on the previous TTL

Conflicting Records

If you receive error messages about conflicting records:

• Remember that CNAME records cannot coexist with other records at the same hostname
• Check for duplicate records with slight variations
• Verify that record syntax is correct for the record type