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Delegate a zone (domain)

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A domain zone is a collection of a domain's resource records. A domain zone propagates from special servers in the DNS system — NS servers, which are specified in the domain's NS records.

When registering a domain, the registrar's NS servers are specified for it. To manage a domain zone through DNS hosting, you need to delegate the domain — specify the hosting's NS servers at the registrar.

If you delegate the primary domain to Selectel, all its subdomains will be delegated to Selectel by default.

You can manage the primary domain zone and subdomain zones via different hostings, for example:

Delegate the primary domain and subdomains to Selectel

  1. In the Control panel, on the top menu, click Products and select DNS hosting.

  2. Make sure you have created a zone for the primary domain and added resource records to it.

  3. To add resource records for a subdomain, create a zone for the subdomain and add resource records to it. The primary domain zone and the subdomain zone must be created in the same project. After creation, you will be able to transfer the subdomain zone to another project.

  4. Go to the control panel of the domain registrar where your primary domain is registered.

  5. In the NS records, replace the values with Selectel's NS servers: a.ns.selectel.ru, b.ns.selectel.ru, c.ns.selectel.ru, d.ns.selectel.ru. Each server must be specified in a separate record.

    When the zone status in the Control panel changes to DELEGATED, records will start being served from Selectel servers.

  6. Wait for the NS records to propagate to the DNS servers. Propagation may take up to 72 hours.

Delegate the primary domain to a third-party hosting, and the subdomain to Selectel

  1. Go to the control panel of the domain registrar where your primary domain is registered.

  2. Ensure that the NS servers of the third-party hosting are specified for the primary domain.

  3. Create a subdomain zone in Selectel:

    3.1. In the Control panel, on the top menu, click Products and select DNS-hosting.

    3.2. Click Add zone.

    3.3. Enter the subdomain name with a trailing dot, for example first.example.com..

    3.4. Click Add. NS and SOA records with default values are automatically created in the subdomain zone:

    • NS — a.ns.selectel.ru., b.ns.selectel.ru., c.ns.selectel.ru., d.ns.selectel.ru.
    • SOA — a.ns.selectel.ru. support.selectel.ru. <zone_serial_number> 10800 3600 604800 60, where <zone_serial_number> is the zone serial number, which changes when the zone is updated and signals caching servers that the records need to be recached.

    3.5. Optional: transfer the subdomain zone to another project.

  4. Delegate the subdomain:

    4.1. Go to the control panel of the third-party hosting to which the primary domain is delegated.

    4.2. In the primary domain's zone, create four NS records, one for each of the Selectel NS servers:

    • record name — subdomain name, for example first.example.com;
    • record value — one of the authoritative Selectel servers: a.ns.selectel.ru, b.ns.selectel.ru, c.ns.selectel.ru, d.ns.selectel.ru.

    When the subdomain zone status in the Control panel changes to DELEGATED, records will start being served from Selectel servers.

    4.3. Wait for the NS records to propagate to the DNS servers. Propagation may take up to 72 hours.

Delegate primary domain to Selectel, subdomain to a third-party hosting

  1. In the Control panel, on the top menu, click Products and select DNS hosting.

  2. Make sure you have created a zone for the primary domain and added resource records to it.

  3. Delegate the primary domain to Selectel:

    3.1. Go to the control panel of the domain registrar where your primary domain is registered.

    3.2. In the domain's NS records, replace the values with Selectel's NS servers: a.ns.selectel.ru, b.ns.selectel.ru, c.ns.selectel.ru, d.ns.selectel.ru. Specify each server in a separate record.

    When the zone status in the Control panel changes to DELEGATED, records will start being served from Selectel servers.

  4. Delegate the subdomain to a third-party hosting:

    4.1. In the Control panel, on the top menu, click Products and select DNS-hosting.

    4.2. Open the primary domain zone page.

    4.3. Add a group of NS records; to do this, click Add and provide the details:

    • group name — subdomain name;
    • record type — NS;
    • record value — NS server name of the third-party hosting.

    4.4. If you need to specify another NS server, click Add and paste the NS server name.

    4.5. Click Add.

  5. Wait for the NS records to propagate to the DNS servers. Propagation may take up to 72 hours.