Use this guide when Cedros has given you DNS records and you need to enter them yourself at another provider, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Squarespace. It explains how to translate the record list into your provider's fields and check the result.
If you have not added the domain or chosen its website destination in Cedros yet, start with Connecting a domain you already own. For automatic Cloudflare management, use Connecting Cloudflare to manage your DNS.
Find the DNS provider that is actually in use
Make the changes where the domain's DNS is currently hosted. That is not always the company where you bought the domain.
Check the domain's nameservers at your registrar, or ask the person who manages the domain to identify the active DNS provider. A DNS editor at your registrar may have no effect if the nameservers point elsewhere.
Before editing, save a copy or export of the existing records. Record the old website destination so you can identify what changed if you need help. Keep the old website available during the transition.
This process normally changes individual records. You do not need to transfer the domain or replace its nameservers just to enter Cedros's website records.
Get the current records from Cedros
In the site's admin, open Settings → Site → Domains.
- On the Domain card, expand Manual DNS or Manual DNS instructions and find Website record.
- In a Managed by Cedros Domains setup, use the records returned after Connect domain, under Manual DNS fallback. For a domain that needs attention, Check setup can show DNS records to add.
Confirm you are viewing the intended domain. On the Domain card, a valid Server target is needed to generate the website record. If it is missing, obtain the destination from your host before continuing.
Know what the copy buttons include
The Copy button beside a record copies its value only. You still need to enter the record type, name, and any TTL or priority shown.
Copy all records copies a text list that can include both website and email records. It is useful for handing instructions to your DNS administrator, but it is not a universal import file. Do not upload it into a provider's zone-file importer or assume every copied row belongs in a website-only change.
Use the current values from your own site. A screenshot, another customer's record, or a provider's example IP address is not your destination.
Match Cedros's fields to your provider
Providers use different labels for the same parts of a record.
| Cedros shows | Enter at your provider |
|---|---|
| Type, such as A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, or TXT | Select the matching record type. An A field needs an IPv4 address; an AAAA field needs an IPv6 address. |
| Host or record name | The provider's Name, Host, or Hostname field. Check whether it expects a short name or the full domain. |
| Value | The provider's Value, Data, Content, Target, or Points to field. Copy the entire value. |
| TTL | The cache lifetime. Match the displayed value in the provider's units where supported. |
| Priority | The separate priority field when the record type requires it, such as MX. Copy the number separately from the destination. |
For A, AAAA, CNAME, and MX destinations, do not add https://, a port, or a page path. CNAME and MX destinations are hostnames, not website URLs. TXT values can contain spaces and punctuation; preserve the generated text rather than retyping or shortening it.
Enter the right record name
The record name identifies the address being configured. The value identifies its destination. Do not swap them.
For a DNS zone named example.com, these are common name conventions:
| Address the record belongs to | Name in an editor that adds example.com |
|---|---|
example.com | @, or the provider's documented root-domain option |
www.example.com | www |
shop.example.com | shop |
selector._domainkey.example.com | selector._domainkey |
These examples explain names only; they are not records to add.
If the editor expects a full hostname, use that instead. Review the saved full name so it does not become www.example.com.example.com. Preserve underscores in verification names such as _domainkey or _dmarc.
The correct short name depends on the DNS zone you are editing, including for domains such as example.co.uk or separately delegated subdomains. If a suggested name would produce a different address from the one you intend, stop and confirm it with your DNS administrator or Cedros support before saving.
Match TTL and priority correctly
TTL values are commonly expressed in seconds: 300 means 5 minutes, and 3600 means 1 hour. If your provider uses a menu, select the equivalent supported value. If it cannot accept the requested TTL, ask the provider which setting to use; do not change the destination to resolve a TTL limitation.
TTL is not a countdown to website readiness. A previously cached answer can remain in use until its earlier cache lifetime expires.
For an MX record, enter the mail-server hostname in the destination field and the priority number in Priority. Do not paste a combined line such as “10 mail.example.com” into a field that only accepts the hostname.
Save the records at your provider
For each record you intend to apply:
- Find the existing records for that exact name. Compare their types and values with the Cedros instructions.
- Edit the appropriate existing record or add a new one when needed. If the exact intended record already exists, do not add a duplicate.
- Enter the type, name, value, and any required priority. Set the TTL using the provider's supported format.
- Save or confirm the change. Complete any verification your provider requires.
- Reopen or inspect the saved record and compare it with Cedros. A filled-in form is not proof that the change was saved.
Saving at the provider publishes the DNS change there. Cedros's copy buttons do not perform that save.
GoDaddy
Open Domain Portfolio, select the domain, and choose DNS. For an A record, use Add New Record → A, enter the Name, Value, and TTL, then select Save. If the record already exists, edit it instead of creating a duplicate.
These controls apply when the domain uses GoDaddy nameservers. GoDaddy may require additional identity verification. Use its A-record instructions for current screen details, while taking the destination from Cedros.
Namecheap
For domains using Namecheap BasicDNS, PremiumDNS, or FreeDNS, open Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS → Host records. Use Add New Record, choose the requested type, fill in its fields, and save the change.
Namecheap's A-record guide explains that path. Its CNAME guide also explains short Host names and the full hostname required for a CNAME target. If the domain uses hosting nameservers or another DNS provider, use that service's DNS editor instead.
Squarespace
Open the domains dashboard, select the domain, and choose DNS. Use the record controls for the required type; existing records have an edit control. Map Cedros's values to Type, Name, Priority, TTL, and Data as applicable.
Squarespace's DNS editing guide covers the current fields and account verification. Its web-hosting record guide covers website record types. Use Cedros's destination, not Squarespace's default website values.
If your provider is not listed, look for its official instructions for the specific record type. The field mapping above still applies.
Resolve conflicts without disrupting other services
An old website destination is still present. Review A and AAAA records for the hostname, plus any CNAME or forwarding rule. An old AAAA record can send IPv6 visitors to the previous site. Replace only the obsolete website configuration you have identified; multiple records may be intentional in other setups.
The provider rejects a CNAME. Check for incompatible records at the same name. A standard CNAME cannot coexist with other record types at that name. Do not delete working email records simply to force it to save.
The requested CNAME is for the root domain. Ask whether your provider supports an appropriate ALIAS, ANAME, or flattening option. If it does not, ask your host for a supported configuration. Do not invent an IP address, point the domain at itself, or substitute a forwarding rule without checking the intended website and HTTPS behavior.
Email or verification records already exist. Keep the records for services you are continuing to use. Connecting a website is not a mail migration. If you are deliberately setting up Cedros email, finish that setup and obtain its complete generated values first. A second SPF policy for the same name can cause a conflict; have the mail administrator reconcile the authorized senders instead of publishing competing policies.
If a record is marked Optional in Cedros, it is excluded from that view's required-record count. Read its purpose before deciding to omit it; optional does not mean irrelevant to the email service or feature you want.
Check the saved records and the website
Return to Cedros after saving the intended changes:
- On the Domain card, select Check website DNS under the manual instructions.
- In the managed flow, select Test DNS or Check setup, according to the screen shown.
Read the record-level result and any Found: values. Those values describe what the check observed; they are not replacement instructions.
Verified: The check matched the expected record. On the Domain card, Website DNS verified concerns website DNS only.
Missing record: Check the active provider, record type, exact name, and saved state. A recently saved record may still be affected by caching.
Wrong value or conflicting record: Compare the expected destination with Found: and inspect the records at that name. Correct the identified mismatch rather than deleting unrelated records.
Unknown or DNS check unavailable: Read the explanation. A failed DNS lookup is not evidence that a record is wrong. If the message says public DNS could not be reached, retry verification before making changes based on that result.
Provider timing varies. GoDaddy advises that changes may take up to 48 hours to update globally; Squarespace gives a 24–48-hour window. These are provider estimates, not a reason to ignore a clearly wrong record. See the GoDaddy guidance and Squarespace guidance.
Once DNS matches, open the exact address over HTTPS and confirm that it serves your Cedros site. Test the root domain and www separately if you configured both. DNS verification does not create a redirect, publish a page, configure an origin server, or prove that a certificate and email delivery work.
For the complete visitor checks, return to Connecting a domain you already own.
If you need help, send the site address, domain, active DNS provider, record type and full name, intended value, saved value, exact error, and when you made the change. Include a cropped screenshot of the relevant records, without passwords, API tokens, or unrelated information. See Getting help and reporting a problem.