Netlify DNS
Netlify offers the option to handle DNS management for you. This enables advanced subdomain automation and deployment features, and ensures that your site uses our CDN for the apex domain as well as subdomains like www.
Using an external DNS provider and don’t want to use Netlify DNS?
If you use another service to manage your DNS, refer to our configure external DNS doc to learn how to point your domain to Netlify.
# Netlify DNS domain support
You can delegate many different types of domains to Netlify DNS, including apex domains or subdomains, which include stand-alone subdomains.
For example, you can delegate a subdomain to Netlify DNS without the need to bring your apex domain to Netlify DNS. So you can delegate just docs.company.com to Netlify without bringing over company.com too. Learn more about stand-alone subdomain support.
# Automatic deploy subdomains
Netlify can generate a custom domain for all of your Deploy Previews or branch deploys when you set up an automatic deploy subdomain.
Standardizing a custom subdomain for your Deploy Previews or branch deploys can unlock new ways of integrating deploys with your branding, review workflows, or security needs.
Automatic deploy subdomains include a custom domain that must be managed by Netlify DNS and an optional additional subdomain.
Learn more about automatic deploy subdomains.
# Branch subdomains
Netlify can generate a custom domain for branch deploys you specify using your production site’s primary domain as long as this domain is managed by Netlify DNS.
Learn more about branch subdomains.
# Add a domain
Team and Organization Owners can add a custom domain to Netlify DNS by registering a new domain or by delegating an existing domain from another registrar.
# Register a new domain
To learn how to register a new domain, visit the domain registration page.
# Add a domain you own
To add a domain you have already registered elsewhere:
- Go to your team’s Domains page and select Add or register domain.
- Enter the domain you wish to add and select Verify.
- You will be asked to confirm that you are the owner of the domain. Select Yes, add domain to create a Netlify DNS zone for the domain.
You will be given the option to add DNS records, followed by instructions to delegate your domain to Netlify.
Looking to add a domain name that uses Unicode characters?
To add a domain name that uses Unicode (or non-ASCII) characters such as ñ or é, use Punycode format. First, convert your domain name to Punycode using a Punycode converter, such as Punycoder. Then, use the converted output for the domain name as you follow the Add or register domain prompts.
# Set up emails on your domain
Netlify doesn’t provide a full email service. But, if you have set up email with an external email service provider and are using Netlify’s DNS hosting, you can add the MX records to Netlify DNS to use emails on your domain. Visit our Forums for a verified Support Guide on how to receive emails on your domain.
Send custom emails with Netlify
Check out our Netlify Email Integration to use Netlify and an email API provider to send custom emails that are stored and versioned alongside your project code.
# Transfer domains between teams
To transfer domains between teams, you must be a Team or Organization Owner.
If you already have a domain in your team’s Domains page, you can transfer the domain and all of its settings to any other team where you are an Owner or Developer. To do this, select the domain you wish to transfer, then go to Collaboration > Transfer ownership, near the bottom of the page.
For information about transferring domains between registrars, visit the domain registration page.
# IPv6 traffic
IPv6 is a new version of the IP protocol that allows your site to reach areas of the world where connectivity using IPv4 is not possible due to the lack of IP addresses. For now, IPv6 is not enabled by default on all Netlify sites. If you use Netlify DNS, you need to enable it explicitly in your Domains dashboard.
After adding a domain to Netlify DNS, you’ll be able to enable IPv6 traffic for your domain by selecting Enable IPv6 on the zone header:
After IPv6 is enabled for your domain, your main domain and all the branch subdomains that you create will use IPv6, as well as IPv4.
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