Strato DNS setup
If your domain is registered at Strato, connecting it to Redirect Supply works a little differently than at most registrars. Strato manages DNS per record type, and www has to exist as a subdomain before it can get its own record. Your domain stays at Strato, and your registration and email don’t change. It takes about ten minutes.
Before you start
You need two things ready before you open Strato.
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.de. If you’re connecting a subdomain like go.brand.de, the DNS setup guide explains the differences.
Check that Strato runs your DNS
Strato’s DNS settings only count when your domain uses Strato’s 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 Strato
Strato groups DNS settings by record type, each with its own Manage button.
Find the DNS tab
Sign in to Strato and open Domains, then Manage domains. Select the settings icon next to your domain and open the DNS tab. You’ll see a row for each record type, such as A record, AAAA record and TXT and CNAME records, each with a Manage button.
What you’ll see there
By default, Strato points the domain to its own hosting, and the A and AAAA settings use Strato’s defaults. That’s what Redirect Supply needs to replace. Not sure what else counts? The conflict table on your domain’s page in Redirect Supply lists every record that blocks the setup.
Point the root domain to Redirect Supply
These two settings handle the root domain itself.
Name | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|
www | CNAME | proxy.redirect.supply |
(domain’s A record setting) | A | 188.114.96.9 |
(domain’s A record setting) | A | 188.114.97.9 |
_cf-custom-hostname | TXT | Value from your domain’s settings page |
Note: Create www as a subdomain first. If the A record takes only one address, enter the first one.
Set your own A record
Select Manage next to the A record, choose to use your own A record instead of Strato’s default, and enter 188.114.96.9. If the form lets you add a second address, add 188.114.97.9 too. Confirm with Accept Setting.
Clear the AAAA record
Select Manage next to the AAAA record and turn off Strato’s default IPv6 address, so the root domain has no AAAA record. Otherwise visitors on IPv6 keep reaching Strato’s hosting.
Leave email settings alone
The MX and email settings keep your email working. They don’t affect redirects, so leave them exactly as they are.
Set up www and verification
Strato only allows a CNAME on a subdomain that already exists.
Create the www subdomain
If www doesn’t exist yet as a subdomain, create it in Strato’s domain management first. Strato treats www like any other subdomain here.
Add the www CNAME
Open the DNS settings for the www subdomain, select Manage next to TXT and CNAME records, and add a CNAME pointing to proxy.redirect.supply. Remove any A or AAAA record on www, so the CNAME is the only record there.
Add the TXT record
On the main domain, select Manage next to TXT and CNAME records, and add a TXT record with the name _cf-custom-hostname and 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.
Confirm each change
Strato saves each record type separately. Confirm every change with Accept Setting or Save Changes before moving to the next one.
Check the status in Redirect Supply
Once everything is saved, you’re done in Strato.
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 Strato’s default 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
New Strato settings are usually picked up within a few hours. Strato notes that it depends on the DNS servers involved, so allow up to a day.
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.
Strato-specific issues
Most problems on Strato come from default settings or the www subdomain.
The Strato hosting page still shows up
The A or AAAA record is still on Strato’s default. Switch both to your own settings as described above and check again in a private window.
You can’t add a CNAME for www
The www subdomain doesn’t exist yet, or it still has an A record. Create the subdomain, remove its A record, and add the CNAME again.
The A record only takes one address
Enter 188.114.96.9 on its own. Both of Redirect Supply’s addresses lead to the same network, so one is enough to connect the domain.
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 the default AAAA record or an old www record. Fix what it flags and wait. Record conflicts covers the common cases.