Fix · Domains and DNS

Which DNS record do I need: A, CNAME or something else?

Not checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

My host told me to add a record and I do not know which kind
I added a record and the site does not open

Most likely cause

An A record points a name to a number (an IP address); a CNAME points a name to another name; hosts usually tell you which one to use for the main name and for www.

Check first (about two minutes)

Read the exact instruction your host shows for your domain (type, name, value).
Look at the records you already have for the same name: you cannot have a CNAME and other records on the same name.

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows domain names and DNS settings and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
Which DNS record do I need: A, CNAME or something else?

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
An A record points a name to a number (an IP address); a CNAME points a name to another name; hosts usually tell you which one to use for the main name and for www.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Ask me for the host's instructions and my current records (type, name, value).
2. Explain A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT and MX in plain words, and which is right for the main name (@) and for www.
3. Tell me exactly which records to add, change or remove, and warn me about mail records I must keep.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- A DNS lookup of the main name and of www shows the values the host asked for.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not delete MX, SPF or other mail records.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Ask me for the host's instructions and my current records (type, name, value).
Explain A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT and MX in plain words, and which is right for the main name (@) and for www.
Tell me exactly which records to add, change or remove, and warn me about mail records I must keep.

Do not do this

Do not change nameservers when only one record is needed.
Do not delete MX, SPF or other mail records.

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