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FAQ

We want to give our customers the information they need to get the most out of STACKIT’s DNS. This FAQ section answers common questions. This helps you quickly find solutions and improve your experience. We encourage you to check these FAQ before contacting our support team, as you might find your answer here.

  • General information

    What is a DNS?

    A DNS (Domain Name System) is a hierarchical decentralized naming system that maps domain names to IP addresses and other resource records on the internet.

    How does DNS work?

    DNS works by translating human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers can understand.

    Why should I use DNS?

    DNS is essential for navigating the internet and accessing websites and other online resources.

    What is a zone?

    A DNS zone is a portion of the domain name space that is managed by a specific organization or administrator. It contains information about the resource records for the domain names within that zone.

    What zones are supported?

    We support zones of type primary and secondary. Both forward and reverse zones.

    What is a primary zone?

    A primary zone is a read/write zone that is stored on a primary DNS server. The primary DNS server is authoritative for the zone and is responsible for maintaining the zone’s resource records.

    What is a secondary zone?

    A secondary zone is a read-only copy of a primary zone that is stored on a secondary DNS server. The secondary DNS server receives updates from the primary DNS server and is responsible for answering queries for the zone when the primary DNS server is unavailable.

    What is a reverse zone?

    A reverse zone is used for mapping IP addresses to domain names. Unlike forward zones, which map domain names to IP addresses, reverse zones map IP addresses to domain names. Reverse zones are used primarily for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes.

    What is a record set?

    A record set is a collection of DNS records that share the same name and record type. For example, all A records for a specific hostname would be part of the same record set.

    What is the TTL value and how does it affect DNS resolution?

    The TTL (Time To Live) value is a setting that determines how long a DNS record can be cached by a resolver or caching server. A longer TTL means that the record will be cached for a longer period of time, while a shorter TTL means that the record will expire more quickly and need to be refreshed more frequently.

    How long does it take for DNS changes to propagate?

    DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours to propagate, depending on a variety of factors such as the TTL value of the affected records, the number of DNS servers involved, and the caching behavior of intermediate servers. In some cases, it may take up to 48 hours for changes to fully propagate across the internet.

    What is a DNS cache and how does it affect DNS resolution?

    A DNS cache is a temporary storage of DNS records that are accessed frequently by a resolver or caching server. The cache helps to reduce DNS lookup times and improve overall performance, but it can also cause problems if cached records are out of date or incorrect.

  • Configuration

    Why can't I update the SOA record?

    The SOA record is automatically managed by the DNS server and updating it manually could cause issues with the zone. We want to prevent users from accidentally breaking the record, which could result in DNS resolution issues for the domain. SOA record can be edited indirectly through the zone values to ensure its correctness and proper functioning. Not all values of the SOA record are adjustable at this time.

    I setup a zone and records at STACKIT DNS, but can not resolve any of them from my client. Whats wrong?

    DNS is a hierarchical system. Your zone needs to be delegated from the level above. For Top-Level-Domains like example.com you need to register the domain via a registrar. To set the correct configuration at your registrars side see Zone delegation / Registrar setup

    The Nameserver for Cloud1 and Cloud2 were changed in the documentation. Which should I use now?

    We updated the Hostnames for our public Nameservers to: ns1.stackit.cloud and ns2.stackit.zone to have an additional redundancy at TLD level. Feel free to update your NS records and the delegation to the new hostnames to benefit from it.

    Can I create a reverse record (PTR) for a public IP that is assigned to my server?

    Yes, please request the record in the the STACKIT Help Center with the information of the public IP and the content of the PTR record.

    Can I create a reverse DNS (PTR) record for a public IP assigned to my server?

    Yes, you can request a reverse DNS (PTR) record for your public IP. Please submit your request through the STACKIT Help Center, including the following information:

    • The public IP address
    • The desired PTR record content

  • Custom records

    I created a record which the API or the Portal accepted but the state of the record is "Creating/Create failed". Meanwhile, I still can create other records.

    The content of your record has the wrong format or the content does not fit the ID. For the moment we accept most custom record requests and try to create them so there is no direct feedback if the request is wrong. If the record isn’t created successfully after a few seconds, please look into the matching documentation and adjust the format/content of your record.

    I don't know where to find the record ID or how to properly format the content.

    The IDs and content requirements can be found here: IANA Resource Record (RR) TYPEs.

    I successfully added a custom record but its type changed after the creation.

    All custom records which match implemented standard records will be validated and stored as their respective standard record. So a record of type TYPE1 will get changed into an A record.