How to Configure Reverse DNS for Your VPS

Give your server IP a meaningful hostname and verify that the reverse and forward DNS records agree.

Understand the two directions

A forward DNS record maps a name to an address. A PTR record provides the reverse lookup, from an address back to a name. Reverse DNS is normally managed by the organization responsible for the IP range, so adding a record at your ordinary domain DNS provider is not necessarily enough.

Prepare the hostname

Choose a fully qualified hostname you control, such as server.example.com. Create its A record for IPv4, or AAAA record for IPv6, pointing to the actual server address. Use a DNS-only hostname if you need it to resolve directly to the origin; a proxied hostname may resolve to CDN addresses instead.

Set the PTR record

1. Open the VPS network or IP management area.
2. Select the relevant address and its Reverse DNS or rDNS action. In the illustrated VirtFusion interface, reverse DNS is associated with an address in the Network view.
3. Enter the full hostname, without https:// or a URL path, and save the change.
4. Repeat for another address only if needed. IPv4 and IPv6 have separate reverse records.

Verify from a terminal

The following uses documentation-only examples. Replace both values with your real hostname and address. Install a DNS query tool if dig is unavailable.

dig +short A server.example.com
dig +short -x 192.0.2.10

The forward result should include the server address, and the reverse result should return the intended hostname. Allow for DNS caching before treating an old response as a failed update.

What rDNS does not do

A PTR record does not encrypt traffic, configure a web server, or guarantee email delivery. Mail services also require appropriate authentication, policy compliance, and sound sending practices. If the panel has no rDNS action, ask support whether it is available for that IP range.

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