Describes MX, CNAME, and TXT (SPF) DNS records for Alibaba Mail and DNS propagation times.
1. MX records
MX (Mail Exchanger) records point to mail servers. Email systems use MX records to locate the correct mail server based on the recipient's domain.
Priority
MX priority matters only when multiple MX records exist. The sender's server delivers to the server with the lowest priority value first. If that server is unavailable, it tries the next in priority order until delivery succeeds or all servers fail.
Verify your MX record
Use nslookup to query MX records and other DNS record types. On Windows, run nslookup from the command line to enter interactive mode.
DNS stores different record types: SOA for zone parameters, A for name-to-IP mapping, and MX for mail exchangers. In nslookup interactive mode, use set type to specify the record type to query.
Run nslookup -qt=MX your_domain_name to verify your MX record.
Alibaba Mail MX records
|
Domain name |
Record type |
Priority |
Record value |
|
@ |
MX |
5 |
mx1.qiye.aliyun.com |
|
@ |
MX |
10 |
mx2.qiye.aliyun.com |
|
@ |
MX |
15 |
mx3.qiye.aliyun.com |
Or
|
Domain name |
Record type |
Priority |
Record value |
|
@ |
MX |
5 |
mxn.mxhichina.com |
|
@ |
MX |
10 |
mxw.mxhichina.com |
Add an MX record in Alibaba Cloud DNS
2. CNAME records
A CNAME (canonical name) record is an alias that maps multiple domain names to the same host.
For example, pointing the CNAME for "mail.your_domain_name" to "qiye.aliyun.com" or "mail.mxhichina.com" lets you access the Alibaba Mail login page at "mail.your_domain_name".
Alibaba Mail CNAME records
|
Domain name |
Record type |
Priority |
Record value |
|
|
CNAME |
- |
qiye.aliyun.com |
Or
|
Domain name |
Record type |
Priority |
Record value |
|
|
CNAME |
- |
mail.mxhichina.com |
Add a CNAME record in Alibaba Cloud DNS
3. SPF records
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication technology that verifies sender IP addresses. The receiving server checks the domain's SPF record to determine whether the sender's IP is authorized. Authorized IPs pass; unauthorized IPs are rejected as spoofed.
Alibaba Mail TXT record value
"v=spf1 include:spf.qiye.aliyun.com -all"
Set up an SPF record
To improve email delivery rates to external mailboxes, add a TXT record for your domain.
Alibaba Cloud DNS SPF record resolution:
If you do not use Alibaba Cloud DNS, contact your domain registrar for instructions on adding a TXT record.
4. DNS propagation time
DNS records must propagate worldwide before taking effect. Propagation time depends on the change type. The following examples use Alibaba Cloud DNS.
1. New records: Records added through Alibaba Cloud DNS take effect immediately.
2. Modified records: Changes to existing records depend on local ISP DNS cache refresh times. Propagation typically equals the previously set TTL value. For example, a 10-minute TTL means global propagation within 10 minutes.
3. Changed DNS servers: If you switch DNS server addresses and then modify records through Alibaba Cloud DNS, propagation also depends on ISP DNS cache refresh times. Because refresh intervals vary and tend to be long, global propagation takes 24–48 hours: up to 48 hours for .com domains and 24 hours for .cn domains.