DNS records

DNS records are instructions that define how your domain name works on the internet. They control things like where your website loads from, how your emails are routed, and which services can connect to your domain. They are essential for making sure everything linked to your domain functions correctly. Bolt gives you the ability to add and manage custom DNS records right in your Project Settings, so you can easily configure your domain to match your needs.

​

DNS record types

Bolt supports the creation and management of the following record types when you manually add a DNS record:

• A: IPv4 Address record, which is used to map host names to their IPv4 address.
• AAAA: IPv6 Address record, which is used to map host names to their IPv6 address.
• CAA: Certificate Authority (CA) Authorization, which is used to specify which CAs are allowed to create certificates for a domain. If subdomains don’t have their own records, they inherit the same records from the apex domain.
• CNAME: Canonical name record, which is used to specify alias names.
• MX: Mail exchange record, which is used in routing requests to mail servers.
• NS: Name server record, which delegates a DNS zone to an authoritative server. If subdomains don’t have their own records, they inherit the same records from the apex domain.
• SRV: Service locator record, which is used by some voice over IP, instant messaging protocols, and other applications.
• TXT: Text record, up to 255 characters. It can contain arbitrary text and can also be used to define machine-readable data, such as security or abuse prevention information.

​

View your records

Bolt shows you two types of DNS records: system records and records you’ve created. To view your records, follow the steps below:

1. Log in and open any Bolt project.
2. Click your profile icon in the top right of your screen, then click Settings.
3. Click Cloud in the left navigation menu.
4. Scroll down to the Custom domains section and identify the domain you want to change.
5. Click the three dots on the right side of the domain’s row, then click Open domain settings.

System Records When you add a domain or subdomain, a system record is automatically created to confirm it has been added. These records cannot be viewed in detail or modified. The screenshot below shows example system records for a primary domain and multiple subdomains: Your DNS Records In addition to system records, you can create and manage your own DNS records in Domain Settings. These user records let you configure how your domain behaves. The screenshot below shows where your records appear, listed under the system records. The sections below explain how to add, edit, and delete your DNS records.

​

Add a DNS record

To add a DNS record to a domain purchased through Bolt, follow these steps:

1. Log in and open any Bolt project.
2. Click your profile icon in the top right of your screen, then click Settings.
3. Click Cloud in the left navigation menu.
4. Scroll down to the Custom domains section and identify the domain you want to change.
5. Click the three dots on the right side of the domain’s row, then click Open domain settings.
6. Click Add new record.
7. Select your record Type, then fill in its values. For most record types, you can also set a custom TTL.
8. Click Save.

​

Limitations on creating records

You cannot create an A or AAAA record for a domain/subdomain if a system DNS record already exists for that domain/subdomain. You cannot view system record details, but you will see an error message that lets you know if you’ve attempted to add a record that already exists. See the example screenshot below: You also cannot create A, AAAA, or CNAME records for domains/subdomains that already have a user-created DNS record. In these situations, you should update the existing record or delete it and create a new one.

​

Set a TTL for a record

TTL (time to live) is how long (in seconds) browsers and other internet services remember a DNS record before they check it again. A shorter TTL means that services check your record more often, so changes to your record reach visitors faster. A longer TTL means that services check your record less often. Whether you can set a TTL depends on the record type:

• A and AAAA records have a fixed TTL of 3600 seconds (1 hour). On the New DNS Record page, you’ll see a message like TTL is set to auto for A records. This means that the TTL is automatically set to 3600 seconds and can’t be changed.
• All other record types (CAA, CNAME, MX, NS, SRV, and TXT) let you set the TTL value you want to use.

To set a custom TTL:

• If the record type allows it, enter a value in the TTL in seconds (optional) field when you add or edit a record.

To view the TTL for an existing record:

1. On the Cloud page, on the Custom domains tab, find the record you want to view.
2. Click the three dots on the right side of the domain’s row, then click Open domain settings.
3. In the Actions column, click the pencil icon to open the DNS record and see its current TTL.

​

Edit a DNS record

To make changes to an existing record, follow the steps below:

1. Log in and open any Bolt project.
2. Click your profile icon in the top right of your screen, then click Settings.
3. Click Cloud in the left navigation menu.
4. Scroll down to the Custom domains section and identify the domain you want to change.
5. Click the three dots on the right side of the domain’s row, then click Open domain settings.
6. Click the pencil icon in the Actions column for the record you want to edit.
7. Make your changes, including the TTL if the record type supports it, then click Update.

​

Delete a DNS record

To delete a DNS record that you previously created, follow the steps below:

1. Log in and open any Bolt project.
2. Click your profile icon in the top right of your screen, then click Settings.
3. Click Cloud in the left navigation menu.
4. Scroll down to the Custom domains section and identify the domain you want to change.
5. Click the three dots on the right side of the domain’s row, then click Open domain settings.
6. Click the trash icon in the Actions column for the record you want to delete.
7. Click Delete to confirm.