Error guide / Неправильна A-запис DNS
Wrong A record, or www not working
If your domain's A record points to someone else's or an old IP, the browser connects to the wrong server: you'll see a stranger's placeholder, an old version of the site, or an error. A separate case is example.com working but www.example.com not (or vice versa): that means the second variant has no DNS record of its own. The domain resolves, just not where it should.
Check your site
What causes it
The culprit is a wrong or missing DNS record: an A record with a stale IP after a migration, or no record for www (which needs its own A record or a CNAME to the root domain). Cloudflare or a registrar parking page can add to the confusion.
How to fix it
- Find your server's real IP (in cPanel it's shown in the sidebar as Shared IP or Dedicated IP).
- In the DNS zone, check the @ A record against that IP and fix it if it points elsewhere. In cPanel that's the Zone Editor.
- For www, add its own record: a CNAME www to the root domain, or the same A record to the same IP.
- If the domain is behind Cloudflare, edit the records there, not only in the hosting panel.
- Flush the DNS cache (ipconfig /flushdns) and allow a few hours after any change.
- Check both variants (with and without www) using the tool below to see where each one resolves.