IONOS DNS setup
If your domain is registered at IONOS, connecting it to Redirect Supply means changing a few records in IONOS’s DNS settings. Your domain stays at IONOS, and your registration and email don’t change. It takes about five minutes, and IONOS applies changes quickly, usually within an hour.
Before you start
You need two things ready before you open IONOS.
Add the domain in Redirect Supply
Add your domain in Redirect Supply first. Its settings page shows the records you’ll need, including a TXT value that’s unique to your domain. Keep that page open in another tab. This guide covers a root domain like brand.com. If you’re connecting a subdomain like go.brand.com, the DNS setup guide explains the differences.
Check your nameservers
IONOS’s DNS settings only control your domain when it uses IONOS nameservers. If your domain points to Cloudflare or another provider, add the records there instead. The Cloudflare DNS setup guide covers the most common case.
Open DNS settings at IONOS
All the changes in this guide happen in one place.
Find the DNS page
Sign in to IONOS and open Domains & SSL. Find your domain, open the three-dot menu under Actions, and choose DNS. You’ll see every record on the domain and an Add record button.
Records you’ll see there
IONOS domains usually come with records that connect them to an IONOS service, such as webspace, a website builder or a parking page. There’s typically an A record on @, often an AAAA record too, and a record for www. Those use the names Redirect Supply needs. Not sure what else counts? The conflict table on your domain’s page in Redirect Supply lists every record that blocks the setup.
Clear the way
Before adding anything, remove what’s already pointing your domain elsewhere.
Disconnect IONOS services
If a record belongs to an IONOS service, IONOS won’t let you change it freely. Disconnect the domain from that service first, whether it’s webspace, a website builder or forwarding. The records then become editable.
Remove old A, AAAA and www records
Delete the A and AAAA records on @ and any record on www. IONOS warns that multiple A records on the same name are answered in random order, so a leftover one would make your domain switch between the old site and Redirect Supply. Don’t skip the AAAA record either, or visitors on IPv6 will keep reaching the old server.
Leave email records alone
MX records and email TXT records like SPF or DKIM keep your email working. They don’t affect redirects, so leave them exactly as they are.
Add the Redirect Supply records
You’ll add four records with Add record. In the Host name field, enter @ for the root domain or just the prefix, never the full domain. Keep the default TTL.
Name | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|
www | CNAME | proxy.redirect.supply |
@ | A | 188.114.96.9 |
@ | A | 188.114.97.9 |
_cf-custom-hostname | TXT | Value from your domain’s settings page |
Add two A records for the root domain
Select Add record and choose A. Enter @ as the host name and 188.114.96.9 in Points to, then select Save. Add a second A record with host name @ pointing to 188.114.97.9.
Add the www CNAME
Add a CNAME record with the host name www pointing to proxy.redirect.supply, and save.
Add the TXT record
Add a TXT record with the host name _cf-custom-hostname and paste the value from your domain’s settings page in Redirect Supply. On some less common domain endings, Redirect Supply also asks for an _acme-challenge TXT record. Add it the same way if you see it.
Check the list
IONOS applies each record as soon as you save it. Look over the list to make sure all four are there, and that no other A or AAAA record is left on @.
Check the status in Redirect Supply
Once the records are saved, you’re done in IONOS.
Check the conflict table
You don’t have to wait to find out if something’s wrong. Your domain’s page in Redirect Supply shows a conflict table with the records currently on your domain. Anything that blocks the setup, like a leftover AAAA record or an old www record, is flagged there along with what to do about it. Fix those first, and the rest is just waiting.
How long it takes
IONOS says changes apply at IONOS right away and reach other DNS servers within about an hour.
When the domain goes Active
Redirect Supply checks your records automatically. When it finds them, the domain switches to Active and HTTPS is issued on its own, with no extra steps from you. See Domain statuses for what each status means along the way.
IONOS-specific issues
Most problems on IONOS come from records that still belong to an IONOS service.
A record can’t be edited or deleted
It’s tied to an IONOS service. Disconnect the domain from that service, such as webspace, a website builder or forwarding, and the record becomes editable.
The domain switches between the old site and the redirect
There’s more than one A or AAAA record on @. Delete everything on @ except Redirect Supply’s two A records.
You can’t rename a record
IONOS doesn’t let you change the host name of an existing record. Add a new record with the right host name, then delete the old one.
The domain is stuck on Pending
Open the conflict table on your domain’s page in Redirect Supply. It shows which record is blocking the setup, usually a leftover AAAA record or an old www record. Remove what it flags and wait a few minutes. Record conflicts covers the common cases.