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Dreamhost DNS Setup Guide

This guide provides information about Dreamhost DNS limitations and alternative solutions for setting up email authentication with Brew.

For official documentation from Dreamhost, please visit their DNS Records page.

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Important Limitation with Dreamhost

Dreamhost currently does not support adding custom MX records for subdomains in their standard DNS management. This is a significant limitation that prevents setting up proper email authentication for Brew.

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Understanding the Limitation

Dreamhost’s DNS management has several restrictions that make it challenging to set up the required records for email authentication:

  1. You cannot add custom MX records for subdomains
  2. The DNS management interface is limited compared to other providers
  3. Some required record types may not be supported

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Alternative Solutions

Since Dreamhost doesn’t support the necessary DNS configuration, you have several options:

Use External DNS Provider

Set up your domain with a third-party DNS provider while keeping your hosting at Dreamhost.

Use Dreamhost Panel DNS

For some Dreamhost plans, you might have access to the Panel DNS system, which offers more flexibility.

Transfer Domain

Transfer your domain registration to a provider with better DNS management options.

Contact Dreamhost Support

Reach out to Dreamhost support to see if they can manually add the required records for you.

The most reliable solution is to use an external DNS provider while keeping your hosting with Dreamhost:

1

Sign up with a third-party DNS provider

We recommend one of these providers:

Each offers full control over DNS records including the ability to add MX records for subdomains.

2

Update your nameservers

  1. Log in to your Dreamhost panel
  2. Go to Domains → Manage Domains
  3. Click the DNS link next to your domain
  4. Select “Use custom DNS (DNS Only)” or “Use external nameservers”
  5. Enter the nameservers provided by your new DNS provider
  6. Save your changes

When changing nameservers, there may be temporary disruption to your website and email services. Make these changes during low-traffic periods.

3

Configure your DNS records

Once your nameservers are updated:

  1. Set up the necessary A and CNAME records to point your domain to Dreamhost for your website
  2. Follow the DNS guide for your specific provider to add Brew’s required records:

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Option 2: Using Dreamhost Panel DNS (Advanced)

Some Dreamhost plans offer more advanced DNS management through their Panel DNS system:

1

Check if Panel DNS is available

  1. Log in to your Dreamhost panel
  2. Go to Domains → DNS
  3. Check if you have access to Custom DNS Records

Panel DNS may not be available on all plans or may require contacting Dreamhost support to enable it.

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Add DNS records if available

If you have access to Custom DNS Records:

  1. Add MX records for your subdomain
  2. Add TXT records for SPF
  3. Add CNAME records for DKIM

However, be aware that even with Panel DNS, you may still face limitations with subdomain MX records.

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Option 3: Contact Dreamhost Support

If you prefer to keep everything with Dreamhost:

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Reach out to Dreamhost support

Contact Dreamhost support and specifically request:

  1. Their assistance in adding custom MX, TXT, and CNAME records for your subdomain
  2. Ask if they can manually add these records for you
  3. Provide them with the exact records from your Brew dashboard

Be sure to mention that you need these records for email authentication, which is critical for email deliverability.

Based on our experience, these providers work well with Brew:

Cloudflare

Free DNS management with excellent performance

Route 53

AWS’s reliable DNS service (paid)

Google Cloud DNS

Google’s enterprise-grade DNS (paid)

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Need support?

We’re here to help!

Scheduled support

Book a call with the founders — we have time slots open most days

We’re more than happy to help you set up your DNS records. Ping us on Slack (we should have connected with you by now) or through one of the mechanisms above.