Where the DNS settings live
- Open the Route 53 console and click Hosted zones.
- Click the domain name to open its record list.
Adding a record
- Click Create record.
- Enter the Record name (leave blank for the root domain), choose the Record type.
- Enter the Value — one per line for multiple values.
- Set the TTL and click Create records.
Editing or deleting a record
- Tick the record, click Edit record, change the value and Save.
- Tick and click Delete record to remove.
Changing the nameservers
- Each hosted zone has its own four nameservers, shown in the zone's NS record.
- Set those at the registrar. If the domain is registered in Route 53, go to Registered domains → domain → Edit name servers.
Gotchas at Amazon Route 53
- Deleting and recreating a hosted zone gives you a different set of nameservers — you must update the registrar again.
- Use an Alias record (not a CNAME) to point the root domain at an AWS resource such as CloudFront or an ELB. Alias records are free to query.
- You are billed roughly $0.50 per hosted zone per month.
After you save
DNS changes aren't instant. Resolvers keep the old answer until the previous record's TTL expires, so a record with a 4-hour TTL can take 4 hours to change everywhere. Use the Route Planner's live check to see what the world sees, and the troubleshooting page if it still looks wrong after the TTL has passed.