DNS guide
Adding email records in DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean hosts DNS but does not register domains, so its records matter only once your registrar delegates the domain to its three name servers.
By Ahmet Karaca · Updated · Checked against DigitalOcean documentation on
Steps
- In the DigitalOcean Control Panel, click Networking, then Domains, and select your domain.
- Click Create a record and choose the type.
- Enter the Hostname (@ for the root domain, or a prefix such as _dmarc) and the value, then click Create Record.
Common mistakes
- DigitalOcean's name servers do not support domains with DNSSEC enabled, so check DNSSEC at your registrar before delegating to ns1, ns2 and ns3.digitalocean.com.
- PTR records can't be created by hand in the DigitalOcean Control Panel. A Droplet gets one automatically only when its name is a fully qualified domain name such as mail.example.com; a name like my-droplet creates none.
- DigitalOcean needs one MX record per mail server, with the server's host name in the Mail providers mail server field.
Watch out for
- Adding a domain creates NS records for DigitalOcean's name servers automatically.
- Edit a record from its … (More) menu. Deleting one asks you to type the domain name to confirm.
Frequently asked questions
How long does delegating a domain to DigitalOcean take?
Between 30 minutes and several hours to propagate across the internet.
What TTL should I choose at DigitalOcean?
DigitalOcean suggests 3,600 or 86,400 seconds for records you rarely change and 300 or 600 seconds for records you update often. Every record needs at least 30 seconds.
Is there a separate SPF or DKIM record type at DigitalOcean?
No. DigitalOcean treats SPF and DKIM as special TXT records, created with the TXT record option.
What to add
Pick the service you're setting up to see the exact records:
Mailbox providers
Marketing platforms
Official reference: DigitalOcean documentation.
Check your DigitalOcean setup
Or open the SPF checker, DKIM checker or DMARC checker directly.