Custom domain guide

How to connect a IONOS domain to Netlify

The exact records to add at IONOS, written the way its form asks for them, for both www and the bare domain.

Checked 16 October 2026

In short

The records you'll add

Type
A
Host name
leave empty
Points to
Type
CNAME
Host name
Points to

Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard.

Step by step

Set it up

  1. 1

    Add the domain in Netlify first

    In Netlify, go to Site→Domain management→Add a domain and enter your domain (for example www.example.com). Adding either the bare domain or www adds both, so set up records for both. Netlify recommends www as the main address with outside DNS.

    Check the exact values under Domain management, Pending DNS verification.

    Custom domains are included on the free plan.

  2. 2

    Open the DNS records at IONOS

    Sign in, then go to Menu→Domains & SSL→⋯ next to your domain→DNS

    The domain has to use IONOS nameservers.

  3. 3

    Clear what's in the way

    The bare domain usually has an A record pointing at the IONOS parking page. Edit or delete it: only one A record can be active for the main domain.

  4. 4

    Add the record for www

    Click Add record and add:

    Type
    CNAME
    Host name
    Points to

    Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard.

  5. 5

    Point the bare domain

    IONOS has no ALIAS record type, so the bare domain uses Netlify's address as A records.

    Type
    A
    Host name
    leave empty
    Points to
  6. 6

    Wait, then check

    Changes at IONOS take effect within an hour, sometimes up to 24 hours. Once Netlify sees the records, it issues the certificate for https by itself. Use the check below to see what the world sees.

Check your domain

Once the records are in, see whether the world can see them pointing at Netlify.

Changes can take from a few minutes to a day to show up everywhere.

Good to know

Common snags

  • Leave Host name empty for the bare domain.
  • Before adding a CNAME for www, the www subdomain may need creating under Manage subdomains.
  • Don't add http://, a trailing slash or a trailing dot to the value.

Still not working?

Questions

Before you start

Should I use www or the bare domain with Netlify?

Adding either the bare domain or www adds both, so set up records for both. Netlify recommends www as the main address with outside DNS. www always works with a single CNAME; the bare domain depends on what IONOS offers, covered in step 5.

Why does my site show a certificate error?

The certificate is issued once Netlify sees your records, which can take a while after DNS changes. If it stays, check for old records on the same name (parking pages, AAAA records) and, at Cloudflare, that the record is set to DNS only.

Will this affect my email?

No. Email uses MX records, which these steps don't touch. Only change the records for @ and www.

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