Pierre-Olivier Mercier
6b6a8c847f
Enable Goldmark block-level attributes so the relearn `children` shortcode applies its CSS classes instead of printing them literally in the table-of-contents pages. Also expand the deploy, plugins, records, and email reference docs and add the checks pages.
2.8 KiB
| date | author | title | weight | aliases | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-12T21:38:49+02:00 | Frederic | TXT | 20 | records/TXT | The TXT record attaches free-form text to a DNS name. Learn what it is used for and how happyDomain edits it through the Text Record service. |
A TXT record (defined in RFC 1035) attaches one or more free-form text strings to a name in your zone. It carries no predefined meaning of its own, which makes it one of the most versatile record types: any application is free to define its own convention for the text it stores there.
Common uses
Because a TXT record can hold arbitrary text, it has become the carrier for many widespread conventions:
- Domain ownership and site verification — a provider asks you to publish a token so it can confirm you control the domain.
- SPF — declares which servers are allowed to send e-mail for your domain.
- DKIM — publishes the public key used to sign your outgoing e-mail.
- DMARC — sets the policy applied when SPF or DKIM checks fail.
- Various other key or policy publications defined by different tools.
For most of these purposes, happyDomain offers dedicated, higher-level services (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, site verification, and more) that are easier and safer to use than a raw TXT record: they guide you with the right fields and validate the syntax for you. Browse them in the {{< relref "/reference/services" >}} chapter, in particular the e-mail-related services. Prefer those services whenever one matches your need.
{{% notice style="info" title="When a TXT record becomes a service" %}} When happyDomain reads your zone, it recognises TXT records that follow a known convention (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, …) and presents them as their dedicated service rather than as a plain Text Record. Only TXT records without a recognised prefix or syntax are shown as a raw Text Record. {{% /notice %}}
Editing a TXT record in happyDomain
In the zone editor, a plain TXT record appears as a Text Record service. It is intentionally minimal: a single field holds the text content of the record.
To work with one:
- Open the subdomain where the record should live (the apex of the zone, or any subdomain such as
www). - Add or open the Text Record service.
- Type the full text string in its only field.
- Adjust the TTL if needed, then publish your changes to apply them.
The value you enter is stored verbatim. Editing it and publishing updates the corresponding TXT record on that subdomain.
{{% notice style="note" title="Long strings" %}} A single text string inside a TXT record cannot exceed 255 bytes at the DNS protocol level. Longer values are automatically split into 255-byte chunks for you. You simply enter the complete string in happyDomain — no manual splitting is required. {{% /notice %}}