This guide explains how a domain name and a DNS zone work.

Preamble

1. When you browse a website https://www.abc123.xyz for example, abc123.xyz is the domain name.
2. Each domain name has a DNS (Domain Name System), which indicates where the DNS zone is located (with which provider, for example).
3. The DNS zone then allows the management of various services related to the domain name to be entrusted to different service providers.
   • For a single domain name, it is possible, for example, to entrust:
     • web hosting with a provider X (via the "A" record)
     • and the Mail Service to a provider Y (via the "MX" record)

Domain name, DNS and DNS zone, then services

Who manages what?

1. Each domain name is reserved and managed by a registrar (registration office). For example, Infomaniak is a registrar, one of the cheapest in Switzerland.
2. The DNS of a domain name are configured with the registrar that manages the domain name.
3. The DNS zone can be managed by the registrar or another service provider.
4. Web hosting and email service can be handled by any host.

In the most common example, it is therefore possible to have 1 different provider for the following services: domain name registration and DNS management, DNS zone management, Web hosting, Mail Service.

The following diagram summarizes these different possibilities, with X, Y, A and B being different providers.

Infomaniak

As a registrar and host, Infomaniak can manage all these services. It is the simplest solution.

• In the case of Infomaniak, the DNS are generally in the form of nsXX.infomaniak.com and nsXX.infomaniak.com (XX such as 11 or 12 for example).
• You can modify the DNS of your domain name, as well as modify the "inside" of these DNS, that is to say modify the DNS zone of a domain name.

And in these DNS zones, to redirect traffic to services, we distinguish:

• an MX record that allows you to point a domain name (domain.xyz for example) to a mail server.
• an A record that allows you to point a domain name (domain.xyz for example) or a subdomain (example.domain.xyz for example) to a web server with a static IP address (otherwise you would have to constantly edit the A record to update the new IP address - refer to this other guide on this subject)

Some possible situations

etc.

This guide explains the difference between the terms synonym and alias in the context of the Domain Name service offered by Infomaniak.

Domain synonym / domain alias

Domain names referred to as synonyms (i.e., domains that are entirely dependent on the main domain, without their own DNS configuration) and aliases (independent domains, with their own DNS configuration) can both serve as secondary domains associated with a main domain.

For example, the domains apple.xyz (alias) and banana.xyz (synonym) can redirect to a common main domain such as fruits.xyz.

Here is the technical distinction to remember:

• The synonym (also called a « linked domain » or « DNS mirror ») directly uses the DNS servers of the main domain. It has no DNS zone of its own.
• The alias (also called « autonomous redirected domain » or « DNS alias ») has its own DNS records (independent DNS zone), even though it points to the same hosting or services.

Learn more

• How to add a domain as an alias
• How to unlink an alias domain
• Understand the difference between domains and DNS zones

This guide explains how to transfer to Infomaniak data (Web, Mail, Domain, and even Cloud) currently hosted elsewhere. You remain the obvious owner of your data, without loss or interruption!

Specific guides

Click on the link corresponding to your current host:

• Swisscom: complete guide to migrate Web, Mail and domain name data

Guides for any other hoster

To retrieve any other data, follow the procedures below:

1. Import Web data (all PHP, HTML, etc. sites.)
   • For WordPress specifically, refer to this other guide…
      
2. Copy the Mail data (addresses and mailbox content, etc.) to kSuite or a simple Mail Service
    
3. Transfer the domain name (domain management, DNS zone, etc.)

You can also bring other types of data to the Infomaniak servers:

• Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. content: refer to this other guide
• Data on NAS Synology or QNAP: refer to this other guide

Why join Infomaniak?

By consolidating your domain names, websites, and email addresses with Infomaniak, you simplify the management of your invoices and services. Moreover, your domains will automatically link with your website and email address. You will therefore not need to manually configure the DNS of your domains with another registrar.

Learn more about Infomaniak

• Infomaniak, the Ethical Cloud
• Infomaniak's eco-responsible approach

DNS Fast Anycast replicates your domain's DNS worldwide to reduce latency and increase the availability of your websites.

Introduction

• With DNS Fast Anycast, the DNS of your domain are replicated across several Points of Presence (POP) around the world (list below).
• No matter where your visitors are located, they are redirected to the nearest DNS server to them, which on average increases (DNS resolution) the speed of access to your site by 34%.
• Moreover, if one of your DNS servers becomes unavailable, the nearest server automatically takes over, allowing your visitors to continue accessing your site.
• The replication of your domain's DNS is automatic and no modification of your code is required.

Manage DNS Fast Anycast

Prerequisites

• DNS Fast Anycast is compatible with all websites, regardless of your hosting provider.
• All you need is a domain name managed by Infomaniak: transfer the management of your domain to Infomaniak if necessary
  • Refer to this other guide to manage external domains.

To access the DNS Fast Anycast option:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product in question.
3. Activate DNS Fast Anycast from the dashboard:
   

POP - 'Point of Presence'

By activating DNS Fast Anycast on your domain, your DNS will be automatically replicated in the following points of presence:

Network 1

New York, USA (2x)
Paris, France (2x)
Warsaw, Poland (2x)
Dublin, Ireland (2x)
Singapore (2x)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Stockholm, Sweden
Vienna, Austria (2x)
Frankfurt, Germany (2x)
London, United Kingdom
Dallas, USA
Los Angeles, USA (3x)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sydney, Australia
São Paulo, Brazil
Miami, USA (2x)

Network 2

Hong Kong, China
San José, USA
Dallas, USA
Reston, USA
Chicago, USA
Seattle, USA
London, United Kingdom
Frankfurt, Germany
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Vienna, Austria
Toronto, Canada
Sydney, Australia
Sāo Paulo, Brazil
Johannesburg, South Africa
Miami, USA

The points of presence are distributed across two networks that are used randomly when one of your visitors accesses your website.

This guide concerns the configuration of the Infomaniak product Newsletter in the case where the domain name used for sending your emails is not managed by Infomaniak.

Preamble

• For automatic use of the Newsletter tool, it is necessary to manage the domain name from which you send your newsletters (as well as its DNS zone) with Infomaniak.
• For example, if you send your newsletters from the address news@domain.xyz, the domain domain.xyz must be managed by Infomaniak.
   

Specific DNS Configuration

To use the Newsletter tool with a domain not managed by Infomaniak, you will need to add specific entries to your DNS zone provided in your Manager:

Refer to this other guide to add the DNS entries mentioning ._domainkey ensuring to first choose a DKIM type, then the CNAME subtype when adding the DKIM.

In case of domain transfer out

If the domain name currently managed by Infomaniak (and corresponding to the Newsletter) is transferred to another registrar, the Newsletter tool will be deactivated within the next 30 days if no consequent DNS modification is made.

This guide describes the meaning of TTL, an abbreviation for «Time To Live» as well as the principle of DNS propagation delays, important concepts in the operation of domain name-related services.

Preamble

• The TTL determines how long DNS information is cached before being updated.
• This directly affects the speed at which DNS changes propagate across servers worldwide.
• While reducing the TTL can speed up propagation, the behaviors of ISPs and their caches can introduce additional delays.

The TTL (Time to Live)

The TTL (Time to Live) is a key parameter in managing DNS records. It represents the duration, expressed in seconds, during which DNS information can be stored in cache before being updated. When a DNS server or Internet Service Provider (ISP) queries a DNS zone, it temporarily keeps the responses obtained to reduce the load on servers and speed up browsing for users.

For example, if the TTL is set to 24 hours (86,400 seconds), the DNS information related to a domain will be cached and will not be updated for the entire duration, even if you have modified parameters such as the domain's IP address. This means that DNS changes will only take effect once this delay has elapsed.

It is possible to speed up the application of changes by reducing the TTL before proceeding with updates. For example, lowering the TTL to one hour (3600 seconds) allows DNS servers to check the new information more quickly after a modification.

DNS propagation

The TTL is directly linked to the DNS propagation process. DNS propagation refers to the time required for changes made to a DNS zone to be disseminated across all DNS servers worldwide. This delay depends not only on the configured TTL, but also on how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other DNS servers manage their caches.

When you modify DNS records, DNS servers and ISPs must wait for the TTL period to expire before fetching the new information. Thus, the shorter the TTL, the faster the changes propagate through the network. However, some ISPs sometimes ignore the TTL duration and keep the information cached for a longer period (for example, 24 hours or more), which can slow down the propagation of DNS changes, even if you have configured a reduced TTL.

Thank you for entrusting the management of your domain names to Infomaniak.

This guide allows you to quickly use the essential functions of your new product.

Some important guides

Administrative

• Protect your personal information in the WHOIS
• Protect your domain against theft and loss
• Update the domain name details
• Who does a domain name belong to?
• Use the free services (mail and Web 10 Mo) linked to a domain managed by Infomaniak
• Transfer another domain to Infomaniak

Technical

• Edit the records (A, MX, Web, Mail, etc.) of a domain registered with Infomaniak to join, for example, a hosting service not managed by Infomaniak
• Change the DNS servers
• Redirect traffic
• Set up DynDNS

• Link a domain to another
• Unlink a domain, synonymous with a domain name

• Link a domain name to the Mail Service
• Add an additional domain to the Mail Service
• Unlink a domain linked to the Mail Service

• Link a domain name to Infomaniak Web Hosting
• Add an additional domain to a website
• Unlink a domain linked to the website

• Link a domain name to kSuite
• Add an additional domain to kSuite

• Link a domain name to the NAS Synology Infomaniak
• Link a domain name to Wix
• Link a domain name to Site Creator
• Link a domain name to the Newsletter
• Link an Infomaniak domain to an external service

Otherwise, find the topic you are looking for among the rest of the FAQs.

Click here to share a review or suggestion about an Infomaniak product.

This guide explains how to find and display DNS information for any domain name registered with Infomaniak (or elsewhere).

Domain at Infomaniak

To access your domain names and view the DNS servers listed:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product.
3. Click on DNS Servers in the left sidebar:
   
   

WHOIS Search

To display the DNS information for another domain name, use a WHOIS service like https://whois.infomaniak.com/ for example or https://who.is (beware of advertisements on all these third-party services).

You will thus get a clear answer about the DNS situation of a domain name at a given point in time.

DNS records are often displayed in pairs and start with ns... followed by numbers and the name of the registrar or host.

Thank you for entrusting Infomaniak with the hosting of your website.

Preamble

• A web hosting service is a storage space available on a computer, also called a "server," connected to the Internet and managed by a web host, Infomaniak.
• This storage space, made available to professionals and individuals, is used to install websites or other types of tools (CRM, extranet, intranet...) that need to be accessible via the Internet.
• These guides allow you to quickly use the essential functions of your new product, your web hosting, which can host multiple websites.

Where to start?

1. Create a WordPress website
2. Build the site with Site Creator
3. Install a web application (ownCloud, Joomla, Typo3, Drupal, phpBB, Simple Machines Forum, Magento, Prestashop, …)
4. Manage your FTP accounts/users
5. Manage and publish files on your web hosting via FTP Manager
6. Manage your MySQL databases
7. Add a site or subdomain to your hosting (multi-sites/multi-domains)
8. Link another domain name to an existing website (domain alias)
9. Preview your site even if your domain name is not yet pointing to Infomaniak's servers

IMPORTANT: the domain name…

Web hosting, to be visible to the public on the Internet, must be associated with a domain name!

Is your domain name not managed by Infomaniak? Or is it in a different Organization than your web hosting? Then refer to this other guide to configure the DNS or the "A records" in order to link the domain name to your web hosting.

In case of a problem

To resolve an issue, please consult the Web Hosting knowledge base before contacting Infomaniak support.

Click here to share a review or suggestion about a Infomaniak product.

This guide shows how to use the Newsletter tool offered by Infomaniak to create and send newsletters, that is, recurring messages to multiple recipients.

Why use Newsletter instead of an Email Service

A newsletter is a periodic communication tool sent by email to a specific group of subscribers. It generally aims to inform, share news, updates, or relevant content on a specific topic and maintain a relationship with a targeted audience.

They can contain articles, announcements, promotions, links to recent content, upcoming events, and sometimes exclusive offers for subscribers. The main goal is to provide interesting and relevant content to spark engagement and maintain subscribers' interest.

Infomaniak Newsletter allows you to schedule and send newsletters to a list of email recipients who are expecting your messages; you thus distribute email marketing campaigns effectively and personally and maintain regular and relevant communication with your customers and subscribers.

The features include the creation of templates, management of the subscriber list, performance analysis and all of this is not directly feasible with a traditional Mail Service. Moreover, the tool has its own interface, autonomous within your browser, completely separate from Mail Infomaniak and does not require a mail application. This means that if you already have contacts to whom you wish to write with their consent, you will need to import them into the tool first.

Prerequisites

• Have a domain name on which you will activate the Newsletter:
  • Access to its DNS zone if the domain name is not with Infomaniak.
  • Create a new domain name if necessary.
• Have credits for Newsletter to allow sending (1 credit = 1 newsletter sent to 1 subscriber).

Activate the Newsletter tool

To activate the Newsletter tool for the first time:

1. Click here to access your product management on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click on START FOR FREE to subscribe to the Newsletter offer.
3. Enter the domain name that will be used (and that must belong to you - read the prerequisites above).
4. Click on the blue button to Approve.
5. Start using the tool - or refer to this other guide in case of any issues or if additional configuration is requested on the screen.

Access the Newsletter tool

To access the Newsletter once activated:

1. Click here to access your product management on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the domain name assigned to the relevant product.

Going further with the tool

• Import contacts
• Create and send a newsletter
• Newsletter credits
• Newsletter sign-up form
• Double opt-in to avoid being marked as a spammer
• Resend a newsletter to specific types of subscribers
• The variables to customize your content
• Use the Newsletter API

See all Newsletter FAQs; click here to share feedback or a suggestion about an Infomaniak product.