How to Manage DNS Records

Choose the Correct DNS Manager

Which DNS system should you use?

Current DNS	Where to edit records
ns1.hostmate-cloud.com ns2.hostmate-cloud.com ns3.hostmate-cloud.com	Use cPanel → Zone Editor.
Hostmate / Synergy DNS Hosting	Use Hostmate Client Area → domain → DNS Management.
Another provider's nameservers	Manage DNS with that provider, such as Cloudflare or another DNS host.

Hosting with Hostmate does not automatically mean DNS is in cPanel.

A domain can use Hostmate hosting while keeping its DNS with another provider. Always check the nameservers before changing records.

Hostmate cPanel DNS

Edit DNS records in cPanel Zone Editor.

If the domain uses the Hostmate cPanel nameservers, log in to the cPanel account that contains the domain.

Open Domains → Zone Editor.
Find the domain and click Manage.
To create a record, click Add Record and choose the required record type.
To change an existing record, click Edit beside it.
Enter the supplied DNS values carefully and save the record.

cPanel Zone Editor can manage common records including A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV and CAA records where enabled.

Screenshot placeholder cPanel → Zone Editor → Manage

Use Manage to view and edit the complete DNS zone for the selected domain.

Hostmate Free DNS Hosting

Use DNS Hosting for a domain registered with Hostmate.

A domain registered with Hostmate can use the included DNS Hosting service without needing a cPanel hosting account. This service is provided through our domain registrar integration with Synergy Wholesale.

Do not enable DNS Hosting just to test it.

Selecting DNS Hosting is not simply opening another DNS editor. It changes the domain's active nameservers to the Synergy DNS Hosting nameservers. If the domain is currently using Hostmate cPanel nameservers or another DNS provider, that existing DNS service will stop being authoritative once the nameserver change takes effect.

If the existing DNS zone contains the records that currently run your website, email or other services, those records must also exist in Synergy DNS Hosting before the move is considered complete. Otherwise the website, email or both can stop working as the nameserver change propagates.

DNS Hosting must be selected as a DNS configuration.

Do not simply type Synergy's DNS hosting nameservers into a custom nameserver form. Selecting DNS Hosting through the domain options creates the DNS zone as well as applying the correct nameservers.

If DNS Management is already available for the domain, you can open it and manage the records directly. If it is not available yet, follow the activation steps below.

Enable DNS Hosting

If DNS Management is not showing, activate it first.

The Synergy Wholesale WHMCS module separates the DNS-management feature from the domain's DNS configuration, so existing domains can require two steps before the DNS editor appears.

Important: check the current nameservers before continuing.

If the domain currently uses ns1.hostmate-cloud.com, ns2.hostmate-cloud.com and ns3.hostmate-cloud.com, its live DNS is being served from Hostmate cPanel. Selecting DNS Hosting in Domain Options will move the domain away from those nameservers and onto Synergy DNS Hosting. Do not make this change unless you actually intend to move the DNS service.

Log in to the Hostmate Client Area and open List Domains.
Select the domain you want to manage.
If the domain shows an Addons section and DNS Management is not active, activate the DNS Management addon.
Before changing the DNS type, record the domain's current nameservers and copy any DNS records that must continue working, especially website A/CNAME records, MX records and email-related TXT records.
Open Domain Options.
Under Set DNS Type, change the DNS configuration to DNS Hosting only if you intend to move the domain's DNS to Synergy DNS Hosting.
After DNS Hosting is enabled, open DNS Management for the domain and confirm the required website and email records are present.

Changing to DNS Hosting changes the nameservers and can take your site or email offline.

The DNS Hosting option changes the domain's delegation to Synergy's DNS Hosting nameservers. If equivalent A, CNAME, MX, TXT and other required records are not present there, services that relied on the old DNS zone can stop working. This is why DNS Hosting should not be switched on simply to look around or test the feature.

Changing DNS type can also reset the DNS zone.

When the domain is changed from another DNS configuration to DNS Hosting, existing DNS records or forwarding settings in the previous Synergy configuration can be removed. Record the existing website, email and verification records first and recreate anything that must remain active.

Screenshot placeholder Hostmate domain Addons / Domain Options / Set DNS Type

If DNS Management is not yet active, enable it first. Only select DNS Hosting if you intend to move the domain's authoritative DNS to that service.

Manage Records

Add, edit or delete records in DNS Management.

Once DNS Hosting is active, open the domain's DNS Management page in the Hostmate Client Area. The Synergy registrar module supports common record types including A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, SRV and TXT.

A — points a hostname to an IPv4 address.
AAAA — points a hostname to an IPv6 address.
CNAME — points one hostname to another hostname.
MX — tells the internet which mail servers receive email for the domain.
TXT — commonly used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and service verification.
SRV — identifies the host and port for a particular service.

Adding a record at the root domain?

In Synergy DNS Hosting, leave the hostname blank when a provider tells you to use @ for the root domain.

Screenshot placeholder Hostmate Client Area DNS Management record list

Add the exact hostname, record type and value supplied by the service you are configuring.

Common DNS Records

Know what you are changing.

Record	Typical use
A	Website or service pointing to an IPv4 address.
CNAME	Alias such as www pointing to another hostname.
MX	Email delivery. Priority matters when more than one MX record exists.
TXT	SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and other verification records.
SRV	Service discovery for applications that require a specific host and port.

Be careful with email records.

Changing MX records or email-related TXT/CNAME records can interrupt mail delivery. If you use Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another external mail provider, keep the records supplied by that provider. Avoid creating multiple separate SPF records for the same domain; update the existing SPF policy when additional authorised senders are required.

After Saving

Allow time for DNS caches to update.

DNS record changes are published by the authoritative DNS service when you save them, but other DNS resolvers may continue using an older cached value until its TTL expires.

If the record is correct in the DNS manager but you still see the old result, it may simply be cached. Nameserver changes can take longer to become consistently visible than an individual record change.

Change Nameservers Use this if the domain needs to move between cPanel DNS, Hostmate DNS Hosting or another DNS provider.

Add a Domain to cPanel Add the domain to the hosting account before pointing Hostmate cPanel DNS at it.

Need Help?

Not sure which DNS system is authoritative?

If you are a Hostmate customer, open a support ticket and include the domain name and the DNS record you are trying to add or change.

Open a Support Ticket

This guide follows the current cPanel Zone Editor workflow and the Synergy Wholesale DNS Hosting / WHMCS Domain Registrar module workflow. cPanel Zone Editor documentation and Synergy Wholesale DNS Hosting documentation provide additional technical detail.