How to Add a Primary Domain or Subdomain in DigitalOcean?

Overview

This guide will walk you through completing the following tasks:

• Adding a root domain or subdomain in DigitalOcean
• Configuring the DNS records required by uSpeedo

Prerequisite: You already have a DigitalOcean account.

If you encounter issues during configuration, we recommend contacting the DigitalOcean official support team, who can identify and resolve problems more quickly.

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Choose Root Domain or Subdomain

Before you start, you need to decide: 👉 Use a root domain or a subdomain.

We recommend referring to the uSpeedo documentation: 👉 How to Choose a Sending Domain

Concept Explanation

• Primary Domain Examples:
  • uspeedo.com
  • google.com
• Subdomain Examples:
  • mail.uspeedo.com
  • mail.google.com

📌 Features:

• A subdomain adds a prefix (one or more) to the root domain.
• Using a subdomain is strongly recommended.

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After Making Your Selection

1. Add the domain/subdomain in the uSpeedo Console
2. The system will automatically generate the required DNS records

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Add a Domain

There are three ways to add a domain in DigitalOcean:

• Method 1: Register a new domain in DigitalOcean
• Method 2: Transfer a domain from another registrar
• Method 3: Use an existing domain and switch DNS hosting to DigitalOcean

👉 This article focuses on Method 1 and Method 3.

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Method 1: Register a New Domain

Steps:

1. Log in to DigitalOcean
2. Go to Domain Management
3. Click Add Domain
4. Enter your domain
5. Follow the prompts to complete the registration process

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Method 2: Use an Existing Domain

If your domain is on another platform:

1. Log in to DigitalOcean
2. Add the domain to DigitalOcean DNS Management
3. The system will provide the corresponding NS (Name Server) records
4. Update the NS records at your domain registrar to the values provided by DigitalOcean

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Configure the Domain

Path:

1. Log in to DigitalOcean
2. Go to Domain Management
3. Find your domain and click Manage
4. Click Add Record to add DNS records

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Configure SPF

SPF is used to prevent email spoofing and reduce the risk of being marked as spam.

Root Domain SPF

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Host	@
Value	v=spf1 include:sendcloud.org ~all
TTL	600

📌 Note: If an SPF record already exists: 👉 Insert the following between v=spf1 and ~all: include:sendcloud.org

Subdomain SPF

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Host	Subdomain prefix (e.g., sc)
Value	v=spf1 include:sendcloud.org ~all
TTL	600

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Configure DKIM

DKIM is used to verify email origin and prevent forged emails.

Root Domain DKIM

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Host	sendcloud._domainkey (or system-assigned value)
Value	k=rsa; p=public key (provided in console)
TTL	600

📌 Note: The Host may be:

• default._domainkey
• sc._domainkey 👉 Use the value from the uSpeedo Console.

Subdomain DKIM

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Host	sendcloud._domainkey.subdomain_prefix (e.g., sendcloud._domainkey.sc)
Value	k=rsa; p=public key
TTL	600

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Configure MX Records

MX records are used to designate the mail servers responsible for receiving emails.

Root Domain MX

Field	Value
Type	MX
Host	@
Value	mx.sendcloud.org
Priority	10
TTL	600

📌 Note: ❗ Only keep the uSpeedo MX record. ❗ Avoid mixing multiple email providers, as this will cause delivery issues.

Subdomain MX

Field	Value
Type	MX
Host	Subdomain prefix
Value	mx.sendcloud.org
Priority	10
TTL	600

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Configure DMARC

DMARC is an email authentication policy built on top of SPF and DKIM.

Root Domain DMARC

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Host	_dmarc
Value	v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-forensics@yourdomain.com; fo=1
TTL	600

Parameter Explanation

• v=DMARC1: Protocol version
• p=none: Monitor mode
• p=quarantine: Send to spam/junk folder
• p=reject: Reject the email
• rua: Aggregate report address
• ruf: Forensic report address
• fo=1: Failure reporting policy

Subdomain DMARC

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Host	_dmarc.subdomain_prefix (e.g., _dmarc.sc)
Value	v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com
TTL	600