Which address to use.
THE SHARED ADDRESS
Shown in cPanel on the statistics panel. The address your account's sites resolve to.
Shared with other accounts on the server, which is normal.
USE THIS
For A records pointing at your site.
A DEDICATED ADDRESS
Available on some plans. An address used only by your account.
WHAT IT IS USEFUL FOR
Certain applications requiring a fixed address Reverse DNS you control Being unaffected by another account's reputation, in some respects
WHAT IT IS NOT USEFUL FOR
Search rankings. It makes no difference. SSL. Modern certificates do not require a dedicated address.
Both of those are commonly claimed and untrue.
THE SERVER HOSTNAME
A name identifying the server itself, given in your welcome email.
Useful for reaching cPanel and mail before your domain resolves here.
WHICH TO USE WHERE
- A records: your account's address
- Mail client configuration: mail.yourdomain.com once it resolves, or the server hostname before then
- Testing before DNS changes: a hosts file entry with the server's address
