What is reverse DNS?

Normal DNS turns a name into an IP address: an A record (IPv4) or AAAA record (IPv6) says that mail.example.com points to your server. Reverse DNS does the opposite. A PTR record says which hostname belongs to an IP address.

Every MAXKO VPS already has a PTR record with a default hostname under maxko-hosting.net. You can replace it with your own hostname at any time.

When do you need your own PTR record?

• You send email from your server. Gmail, Outlook and most other mail providers check that the sending IP has a PTR record and that it matches the hostname your mail server announces. Without it, mail often lands in spam or is rejected.
• Clear logs and tools. Traceroutes, firewall logs and monitoring show your own hostname instead of a generic one.
• Services that check the sender. Some APIs and partners only accept connections from addresses with a matching forward and reverse record.

Step 1: Choose a hostname

Use a hostname in a domain you control, for example mail.example.com or server1.example.com. If the server sends email, use the same name your mail server uses in its greeting (HELO/EHLO).

Step 2: Point the hostname to your server

At your DNS provider, create an A record for the hostname that points to the server's IPv4 address, and an AAAA record if you also use IPv6. MAXKO only saves a PTR record when the hostname already resolves to that IP, so this step comes first.

Check it from any computer:

dig +short mail.example.com A
dig +short mail.example.com AAAA

Wait until the result shows your server's address. New records are usually visible within minutes, changed records after the old TTL expires.

Step 3: Set the PTR record in the MAXKO panel

1. Log in to your MAXKO account and open Services.
2. Open your VPS and go to the Networking tab. All IPv4 and IPv6 addresses of the server are listed there.
3. Enter the hostname next to the address and save.

The change is applied automatically. If the hostname does not point to that address yet, the panel tells you and nothing is changed. Dedicated servers have the same reverse DNS fields on the server's page in the panel.

You can also set reverse DNS through the MAXKO API, which is useful when you deploy servers automatically. See How to Use API Access.

Step 4: Check the result

dig +short -x 203.0.113.10
host 203.0.113.10

Replace the example address with your server's IP. The answer should be your hostname. Resolvers may cache the old value for a short time.

Tips for mail servers

• Forward and reverse DNS should match: the PTR points to mail.example.com, and mail.example.com points back to the same IP.
• Set the same hostname in your mail server configuration, for example myhostname in Postfix.
• Reverse DNS is only one part of good delivery. Also publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for your domain.
• If you use IPv6 for sending mail, set a PTR record for the IPv6 address too.