Managing Name servers (or Nameservers or DNS) and DNS records
How to change your Name Servers (DNS)
When you register a domain name with Gandi, you can use our LiveDNS (our internal nameservers) free of charge. Or choose nameservers external to Gandi (Wix, CloudFlare, etc).
Switching to external name servers
Warning:
Before switching to external name servers, make sure you have backed up or copied any important DNS records on the new name servers, as these are not automatically transferred. Without these DNS records, your website and the services associated with your domain name (such as email) will no longer function until the records have been updated. Moreover, you will no longer have direct access to your backups or records once you have switched to external nameservers.
To switch to external name servers, follow the instructions below:
- Select the "DOMAIN NAME" menu
- Click on the domain name you wish to change.
- Click on the "Name servers" tab in the top menu.
- Click on "Modify".
- Click on the "External" button.
- Enter your name servers (one per line).
- Click on "Save".
Tip:
Keep in mind that the update is not instantaneous: DNS propagation generally takes 12 to 24 hours, so wait until then before testing.
Using Gandi's LiveDNS
To be able to manage DNS records from your Gandi account, your domain must use our LiveDNS name servers.
So as to avoid any interruption of service during a server changeover, it is recommended that you duplicate the DNS zone of the current servers via the DNS records. This way, the change will be made without modifying the records themselves.
If you don't have custom records, you can simply use the default records.
To switch to our LiveDNS :
Select "DOMAIN" from the left-hand menu.
Click on the domain name you wish to change.
Click on the "Name servers" tab in the top menu.
Click on "Modify".
Click on the "Gandi LiveDNS" button.
Click on "Continue".
Choose whether you want to use Gandi's default DNS records, or your own custom records.
Click on "Switch to LiveDNS".
Tip:
Remember that the update is not instantaneous: DNS propagation takes a minimum of 1 hour. Wait for this time before testing.
Extensions requiring a Zonecheck
Some national registries that manage country-specific extensions will carry out a "Zonecheck" on new name servers to ensure that they meet the required criteria. If one of the name servers fails this zone check, your domain name will be suspended, i.e. the name servers will not respond and your site will be offline.
You can check whether your domain will pass this zonecheck by using the links below :
- .IT https://www.nic.it/it/gestisci-il-tuo-it/dns-check
- .DE https://nast.denic.de/
- .DK https://zonemaster.punktum.dk/
- .LU https://dns.lu/en/domains/name-server-test
Edit your Recordings
Click the “pencil” icon to the right of a recording to edit it.
Click the “trash” icon to the right of a recording to delete it.
Click the “Add” button to create/add a new record.
Important: You must only have one record per subdomain.
Advanced view
In text mode you can edit the entire zone file yourself.
Click “Save” to save your changes/additions.
DNS record update/propagation delay
The average time is 20 minutes. However, the propagation time may vary from one region to another.
Back up your DNS records
We recommend that you make a backup before making any “manual” changes to the recordings. If there is a problem, this will allow you to revert to the previous version.
Go to the “DNS Records” menu and click “Take Zone Snapshot”.
To restore a snapshot, click “Restore Snapshot”.
For a single domain, the easiest way is to switch to “Text view”, select all the records in the zone file and copy/paste them into editing software (Textedit, Word, notepad, gedit, etc.).
Export DNS records
In the DOMAIN NAME menu in Advanced View, then click the “gear” icon (⚙) at the top right of the list. Click “Export DNS Records to CSV”.
Retrieving the data and generating the file may take a little time (depending on the number of domains involved), please be patient.
To learn more about the different types of records, their use and how to use them at Gandi, refer to the following pages:
Type A - Used to point your domain to a server with a Static IP.
CAA Type - Used to provide information to the Certificate Authority when creating an SSL certificate.
CNAME type - Used to point a subdomain to another web address.
Type MX - Used to define a Mail server.
Type TXT - Used to attach information to your domain/Subdomain. Very flexible, it is used for multiple uses, such as validating domain ownership or adding an SPF type record.
Type SPF - Now replaced by a TXT.
Create a subdomain
Subdomains are the part of a URL that is “in front” of your domain name, separated by a period. For example docs.gandi.net or www.gandi.net
Subdomains are created directly as a DNS record.
If your subdomain points to an IP address, add an A record.
If your subdomain points to an address, add a CNAME record. Don't forget the end point.
Note
It is better to use web redirects instead of a CNAME for better search engine rankings.