How to Manage DNS Records & Connect Domain to External Platforms (Shopify, Blogger, Google Sites)

CloudZex provides enterprise-grade Anycast DNS Management for all registered domains. Through the CloudZex Client Portal, you have complete control over your domain's DNS zone files, allowing you to add, edit, and remove records including A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, and TXT.

This comprehensive guide walks you through navigating the DNS manager and connecting your domain to popular e-commerce platforms, website builders, and custom servers such as Shopify, Blogger, Google Sites, or your own VPS.

1. How to Access DNS Management in CloudZex

To access your domain's DNS zone editor:

1. Log in to your CloudZex Client Portal.
2. From the navigation menu, go to Domains → My Domains.
3. Find your active domain in the list and click the Manage button.
4. Under the domain management tabs, select DNS Management.

Here you will see all existing DNS records and a clean form to add new records with real-time validation.

2. Connecting Your Domain to Shopify

Connecting a custom domain to your Shopify store requires configuring two primary DNS records: an A Record for your root domain and a CNAME Record for the www subdomain.

Step A: Add the Root Domain (A Record)

If an existing A record with Host @ exists, edit or replace it with Shopify's official IP address:

• Type: A
• Host: @ (or leave blank)
• Value / Target: 23.227.38.65
• TTL: 3600 (1 hour)

Step B: Add the WWW Subdomain (CNAME Record)

Direct your www traffic to Shopify's edge router:

• Type: CNAME
• Host: www
• Value / Target: shops.myshopify.com
• TTL: 3600 (1 hour)

Step C: Verify in Shopify Admin

1. Log in to your Shopify Admin.
2. Go to Settings → Domains.
3. Click Connect existing domain.
4. Enter your domain name (e.g., yourdomain.com) and click Next.
5. Click Verify connection. Once DNS has propagated, Shopify will issue a free SSL certificate within a few hours.

3. Connecting Your Domain to Blogger (Blogspot)

Google Blogger requires two CNAME records for domain verification and linking:

• Record 1 (Main WWW CNAME):
  • Type: CNAME
  • Host: www
  • Value: ghs.google.com
  • TTL: 3600
• Record 2 (Unique Security Token):
  • Type: CNAME
  • Host: (Unique 12-character token provided in Blogger Settings, e.g. k7j3h2f8...)
  • Value: (Google verification host provided in Blogger, e.g. gv-xxxx.dv.googlehosted.com)
  • TTL: 3600

Optional: To redirect root domain (yourdomain.com) to www.yourdomain.com, you can also add Google's 4 root A records: 216.239.32.21, 216.239.34.21, 216.239.36.21, and 216.239.38.21.

4. Connecting Your Domain to Google Sites

For custom domain mapping in Google Sites:

1. Open your site in Google Sites and click Settings (Gear Icon) → Custom domains.
2. Enter your desired custom address (e.g., www.yourdomain.com).
3. In CloudZex DNS Management, add a CNAME Record:
   • Type: CNAME
   • Host: www
   • Value: ghs.google.com
   • TTL: 3600
4. Complete the verification steps in Google Sites.

5. Connecting to a VPS, Dedicated, or Shared Web Hosting

If you have purchased a Cloud VPS, cPanel, or CloudPanel hosting server:

• Root A Record: Set Type to A, Host to @, and Value to your server's public IPv4 address (e.g., 192.0.2.1).
• WWW Alias: Set Type to CNAME, Host to www, and Value to @ (or your root domain).
• Wildcard Subdomains (Optional): Set Type to A, Host to *, and Value to your server IP.

6. Adding Email Records (MX, SPF & DKIM)

If you use email services like Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, or Microsoft 365:

• MX Records: Select Type MX, Host @, enter the mail exchanger host, and specify the priority number (e.g., 10).
• TXT Records (SPF & DKIM): Select Type TXT, Host @, and enter your SPF record string (e.g., v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all).

Understanding DNS Propagation

CloudZex operates on high-performance Anycast DNS clusters. Whenever you save or update a record in the Client Portal, the changes are written immediately to our global name servers.

However, worldwide propagation across internet service providers (ISPs) depends on record TTL and intermediate DNS caching. Most changes take effect within 5 to 30 minutes, but in rare network conditions, can take up to 24 hours.

You can check the global propagation status of your records at any time using free diagnostic tools like DNSChecker.org.