Quick answer: An AAAA record is the IPv6 equivalent of an A record: it maps a hostname to an IPv6 address like 2a01:db8::1. Add or edit it in your DNS provider's panel using the IPv6 address assigned to your Cloud2Y server, and keep the A record in place for IPv4 visitors.
Overview
Serving your site over IPv6 makes it reachable for IPv6-only networks and is good practice as the internet migrates. The AAAA record works alongside the A record — clients pick whichever protocol they support.
Before you start
- Your server's IPv6 address — listed with your assigned IPs on the Client Area service page.
- IPv6 actually configured and working on the VPS (how to configure IPv6 on VPS).
- Access to the authoritative DNS panel for the domain.
Step-by-step guide
- Verify IPv6 works on the server first:
ping6 -c3 google.com
ip -6 addr show- In the DNS panel, create an AAAA record: host
@(and one forwww), value = the server's IPv6 address. - Save and verify resolution:
dig +short AAAA example.com- Test the site over IPv6 explicitly:
curl -6 -I https://example.comCommon issues
- AAAA published but the site times out for some visitors: IPv6 is not configured on the server or port 443/80 is firewalled for IPv6 — broken AAAA is worse than none, so fix or remove it.
- Wrong address pasted: IPv6 is long; copy it from the Client Area rather than typing.
- Web server not listening on IPv6: make sure nginx/apache binds to
[::]as well as0.0.0.0.
When to contact support
If you cannot find your IPv6 allocation in the Client Area or IPv6 connectivity from the server fails after correct configuration, open a support ticket with your service ID and the output of ip -6 addr.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between A and AAAA records?
An A record holds an IPv4 address like 203.0.113.10, while an AAAA record holds an IPv6 address like 2a01:db8::1. Sites normally publish both so all networks can connect.
Is an AAAA record required for my site?
No, IPv4 alone works everywhere today. Adding AAAA makes the site natively reachable from IPv6-only networks and is good practice, but only if IPv6 on the server actually works.
Can a broken AAAA record take my site down?
Partly, yes: clients that prefer IPv6 will try the AAAA address first, and if the server does not answer on it they may stall or fail. Publish AAAA only after testing IPv6.
Related articles
- How to configure IPv6 on VPS
- How to update an A record
- How to point a domain to Cloud2Y VPS
- How to troubleshoot a domain that does not open
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