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Update dns-record-types.mdx#28294

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RebeccaTamachiro merged 4 commits intocloudflare:productionfrom
smittal123:patch-4
Feb 13, 2026
Merged

Update dns-record-types.mdx#28294
RebeccaTamachiro merged 4 commits intocloudflare:productionfrom
smittal123:patch-4

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PCX ticket : https://jira.cfdata.org/browse/PCX-20784

The current documentation (devdocs page) contains inaccurate information about DNS record name requirements.

Current (incorrect) documentation states:

FQDN must not exceed 255 characters
Must start with a letter and end with a letter or digit Only contain letters, digits, or hyphens (underscores allowed but discouraged) Issues:

255 → 253 chars: The max FQDN length in dotted notation is 253 characters (255 is the wire format including length octets)
"Start with letter" rule: This is a hostname convention (RFC 952), not a DNS protocol requirement. DNS labels can start with digits.
LDH-only restriction: DNS protocol allows any octet in labels. Underscores are common and valid (e.g., _dmarc, _acme-challenge, _domainkey).
Suggested fix: Clarify that these are recommendations for hostnames (especially if TLS certs are needed), not DNS protocol requirements. DNS itself is more permissive.

Reference thread: https://chat.google.com/room/AAAAOyUnD_g/_IwzlXZh9pY/_IwzlXZh9pY?cls=10

Summary

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Documentation checklist

  • Is there a changelog entry (guidelines)? If you don't add one for something awesome and new (however small) — how will our customers find out? Changelogs are automatically posted to RSS feeds, the Discord, and X.
  • The change adheres to the documentation style guide.
  • If a larger change - such as adding a new page- an issue has been opened in relation to any incorrect or out of date information that this PR fixes.
  • Files which have changed name or location have been allocated redirects.

PCX ticket : https://jira.cfdata.org/browse/PCX-20784

The current documentation (devdocs page) contains inaccurate information about DNS record name requirements.

Current (incorrect) documentation states:

FQDN must not exceed 255 characters
Must start with a letter and end with a letter or digit
Only contain letters, digits, or hyphens (underscores allowed but discouraged)
Issues:

255 → 253 chars: The max FQDN length in dotted notation is 253 characters (255 is the wire format including length octets)
"Start with letter" rule: This is a hostname convention (RFC 952), not a DNS protocol requirement. DNS labels can start with digits.
LDH-only restriction: DNS protocol allows any octet in labels. Underscores are common and valid (e.g., _dmarc, _acme-challenge, _domainkey).
Suggested fix: Clarify that these are recommendations for hostnames (especially if TLS certs are needed), not DNS protocol requirements. DNS itself is more permissive.

Reference thread: https://chat.google.com/room/AAAAOyUnD_g/_IwzlXZh9pY/_IwzlXZh9pY?cls=10
@smittal123 smittal123 requested review from a team and RebeccaTamachiro as code owners February 12, 2026 15:57
@github-actions github-actions bot added product:dns Issues or PRs related to DNS size/s labels Feb 12, 2026
@RebeccaTamachiro RebeccaTamachiro enabled auto-merge (squash) February 13, 2026 09:53
@RebeccaTamachiro RebeccaTamachiro merged commit cb8d7ab into cloudflare:production Feb 13, 2026
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2 participants