# Hover CNAME and A record setup (https://dodomain.io/docs/guides/dns-providers/hover)

How to add a CNAME, A or TXT record at Hover: the host for a subdomain and the root domain (@), why the root can't take a CNAME, and how to check it's live.

{/* GENERATED by apps/docs/scripts/generate-dns-provider-guides.mts from packages/core/src/guides.ts. Do not edit. Change the guide in core, run `pnpm --filter @dodomain/docs generate:dns-provider-guides`, commit both. scripts/check-dns-provider-guides.sh fails the build on drift. */}

These are the steps DoDomain's hosted connect flow shows a customer whose domain is managed at Hover, in Hover's own vocabulary. A product using DoDomain never writes them: [the connect flow](https://dodomain.io/docs/connect-flow) detects the provider, shows these steps beside the exact records to create, and verifies each record against the zone's authoritative nameservers. They are published here for your own support articles, and for anyone who wants to see the steps before they start.

Related definitions: [CNAME record](https://dodomain.io/glossary/cname-record), [A record](https://dodomain.io/glossary/a-record), [apex domain](https://dodomain.io/glossary/apex-domain), [ALIAS and CNAME flattening](https://dodomain.io/glossary/alias-and-cname-flattening).

## Where the records live [#where-the-records-live]

Open [Hover's DNS management](https://www.hover.com/control_panel) and pick the domain.

## How to add a CNAME or A record in Hover [#how-to-add-a-cname-or-a-record-in-hover]

1. Sign in to Hover → Domains → your domain → the DNS tab.
2. Click Add a record and pick the record type.
3. Enter Hostname and the value field as below (Target Name for a CNAME, Content for TXT, IP address for A).
4. Save the record, then come back and click Verify.

## What to put in the Hover host field [#what-to-put-in-the-hover-host-field]

Enter the subdomain only in Hostname; use `@` for the root domain (if a form asks for your full domain as the hostname, type `@` instead). For a record on the domain itself, enter `@`.

Whatever the panel calls the field (Name, Host, Hostname), DoDomain's connect flow shows the value to paste into it already in this provider's format, and shows the fully-qualified name it will verify next to it.

## Worth knowing [#worth-knowing]

- Hover cannot host a CNAME on the root domain (`@`). A CNAME must sit on a subdomain.

## Common questions [#common-questions]

### Where do I add DNS records at Hover? [#where-do-i-add-dns-records-at-hover]

Open [Hover's DNS management](https://www.hover.com/control_panel) and pick the domain.

### What goes in the host field at Hover? [#what-goes-in-the-host-field-at-hover]

Enter the subdomain only in Hostname; use `@` for the root domain (if a form asks for your full domain as the hostname, type `@` instead). For a record on the domain itself, enter `@`.

### Can I put a CNAME on the root domain at Hover? [#can-i-put-a-cname-on-the-root-domain-at-hover]

Hover cannot host a CNAME on the root domain (`@`). A CNAME must sit on a subdomain. For the root domain itself, see [the apex question](https://dodomain.io/docs/apex-domains).

### How do I check that a record at Hover is live? [#how-do-i-check-that-a-record-at-hover-is-live]

Look the name up with the free [DNS lookup](https://dodomain.io/tools/dns-lookup), which shows the authoritative answer next to what public resolvers return. DoDomain verifies against the authoritative nameservers, so a record can be correct there while resolvers still serve the old answer until its TTL expires.

## Check the record is live [#check-the-record-is-live]

A saved record is not yet a live record. DoDomain verifies against the zone's **authoritative** nameservers, which answer as soon as the provider publishes the change; public resolvers can lag behind for as long as the old answer's TTL. The free [DNS lookup](https://dodomain.io/tools/dns-lookup) shows both answers side by side for any name, and the [provider detector](https://dodomain.io/tools/provider-detector) tells you which provider serves a domain and whether a one-click path exists for it.

## If you are the product asking for this record [#if-you-are-the-product-asking-for-this-record]

You do not have to send customers here. Mint a connect session and the hosted flow shows these steps to your Hover customers on its own, then verifies and keeps monitoring the records. See [the connect flow](https://dodomain.io/docs/connect-flow) and the framework guides for [Next.js](https://dodomain.io/docs/guides/custom-domains-multi-tenant-nextjs), [Rails](https://dodomain.io/docs/guides/custom-domains-multi-tenant-rails), [Laravel](https://dodomain.io/docs/guides/custom-domains-multi-tenant-laravel) and [Django](https://dodomain.io/docs/guides/custom-domains-multi-tenant-django). A customer who wants their bare domain rather than a subdomain is the [apex question](https://dodomain.io/docs/apex-domains), which no provider panel solves on its own.

_Vocabulary checked against Hover's own help page on 2026-09-05: [https://support.hover.com/support/solutions/articles/201000064728](https://support.hover.com/support/solutions/articles/201000064728)._