A domain name is a human-readable internet address of a website that can be used to access the website. The Domain Name System (DNS) converts human-readable names into machine-readable ones. It is crucial for the DNS settings for your websites to be accurate, as incorrect settings can disrupt the operation of your services. For example, your domain may become inaccessible or mail may fail to reach your mail server. Plesk can act as the primary (master) or secondary (slave) name server for your domains. The DNS settings are automatically configured, but they can be modified via the interface. If the DNS service for your domains is provided by third-party name servers, you can disable the DNS service in Plesk.

Adding and Modifying DNS Records

Note: This information is intended for advanced users. Incorrectly configuring DNS settings can negatively impact the accessibility of your website and email.

For each new domain name, Plesk automatically creates a DNS zone based on the settings configured by your service provider. This automatic configuration should ensure that the domain names function correctly. However, if you are using Plesk’s NS server and need to make custom modifications to the domain name zone, you can do so in the control panel.

To view the resource records in a DNS zone of a domain, Go to Websites & Domains > DNS Settings.

To add a resource record to the zone, Go to Websites & Domains > DNS Settings, and then click Add Record.

Using External NS Servers

If you host websites on your account and do not want to use Plesk as your primary (master) NS server, you have the following options:

  • Use Plesk’s name server as a secondary (slave) name server if you have a standalone name server acting as a primary (master) name server for your websites.
  • Disable DNS for your domain in Plesk if you have external primary and secondary name servers that are authoritative for your websites.

To switch Plesk’s DNS server to a secondary name server, go to “Websites & Domains” > “DNS Settings” and click “Switch to Slave”. 

To switch back to the primary name server, go to “Websites & Domains” > “DNS Settings” and click “Switch to Master”. 

To disable Plesk’s DNS service for a site served by external name servers, go to “Websites & Domains” > “DNS Settings” and click “Disable.”