Bluehost DNS Settings:
Informational Tips
To have a successful website and a professional
email, you will need domain registration and a hosting account. Bluehost hostname offers both the domain name (which is free for the first year and renews at an annual cost of $11.95/year) and the hosting at different plans.
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a component example of a name server. It is a hierarchical and decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources connected to the internet or a private network. The Bluehost DNS translates domain names that are understandable into the numerical identifiers (IP
addresses) associated with Bluehost.
What is a
nameserver?
A Bluehost nameserver is a computer application that implements a network service for responding to queries against a directory service. Also, domains are pointed to their respective hosting by the use of a name server.
They implement the Domain Name System and are a fundamental part of the DNS. Nameservers also allow using domain names in your website hosting instead of IP addresses. Thus, they define your domain current registrar’s provider default DNS service.
It is important to have Bluehost nameservers to host your website or manage your domain names at Bluehost hostname. If your domain is not from Bluehost, the company you bought the domain from should give you access to the settings for the DNS zone responsible for your domain and its subdomains.
This will allow you to change your name servers. If the domain is from Bluehost, you can modify your name servers. This will take 2 to 48 hours for the changes to propagate. When using
the Bluehost to host your website, if you have domains that are pointed to their Name Servers, you can add, edit, or delete your DNS entries in the Zone
editor.
How do I find out my server name?
You can find your server name in the Bluehost Control Panel under the Domain Manager after logging in to your account. You can also
change the name servers and custom name servers in the following ways.
If you had purchased your domain name from Bluehost nameservers, you could manage it
online in the ‘Nameservers’ tab in the ‘Domain Manager.’ If the domain name is not purchased from Bluehost nameservers, you will have to change it through the one you registered.
If you want to change your server name, Login to your Bluehost Control Panel and Click ‘Domain Manager’ tab located at the top of the ‘Domain Management’ page and choose your domain name from the list of available domains by putting
a checkmark next to it. The right side will populate with tabs. Click on ‘Name Server’ tab -> select ‘Use Custom Nameservers’ -> enter in the new name servers or create a custom name servers -> click ‘Save Nameserver settings’ to save the changes.
It will take 2 to 48 hours for the DNS propagation of the name servers to go through. During this time, your website and emails may not work, but it will fix itself over time.
How to
find DNS Zone Editor and configure the DNS
In Bluehost DNS configuration, you can use the DNS Zone Editor in your account to modify your DNS records. The Domain Name System (DNS) entries allow a human-friendly name and translate it to an IP address. DNS can be updated quickly
with some propagation time (24 to 48 hours). The following steps are involved in configuring the DNS.
- Management of your DNS records is done through the DNS Zone Editor. To access the Editor, you must log in to your Bluehost Control Panel account and follow the below steps:
Click on the ‘Domains’ tab. This varies as follows; if you got Legacy Accounts, then the Domains option will appear in the sub-menu at the top of the screen, and for Bluehost Accounts, the Domains tab is located at the left-hand side menu. - Next, click on the ‘Zone Editor’ from the sub-menu.
Once you access the Zone Editor, you can perform the following in your DNS records.
Modify an
existing DNS Record
You can change a current record in the following
steps:
- Select the domain name you are modifying from the drop-down box.
- Find the record you wish to modify under the ‘Zone File Records.’
- Click the ‘Edit’ button and then enter the changes you want to make
and then click ‘Save.’
1. Add a new
Record
In the DNS Zone Editor, you can follow the steps
below to add a new record;
- Scroll to ‘Add DNS Record’ and type the desired record name in the
‘Host Record’ field. - While leaving the TTL field at its default setting, select the
proper entry type for your application from the drop-down labelled ‘Type.’ - Enter the address that the record should resolve to in the ‘Points
To’ field. - Note: other fields may appear depending on the type of record you
are creating. - Finally, click on the ‘Add Record’ button to create the record.
2. Delete a
Record
Once you are in the DNS Zone Editor, the following
steps will assist you to delete an existing record:
- Select the domain name you are modifying from the drop-down box.
- You can find the record you wish to modify under the ‘Zone File
Records.’ - Click the ‘Delete’ button next to the record.
Things to Note:
- When performing any DNS Record modifications, the changes usually
take a few hours to propagate. - It is crucial to use Bluehost name servers for DNS Records to work.
- The Bluehost environment does not support Reverse DNS Lookups.
Therefore, a Reverse DNS Lookup will not resolve to the domain name; it will resolve to the server that the hosting account is on. - Bluehost has TXT entries and PTR entries to help with SPF records when sending emails. This will show that the email was legitimately sent
from a Bluehost server, where the domain will be listed if a Reverse DNSLookup is done.