Original PortalMine editorial illustration. This page is maintained as practical server-owner documentation.
Quick answer: An A or AAAA record maps a hostname to an address. An SRV record can publish a service port, but client support differs. DNS does not proxy arbitrary Minecraft traffic by itself.
Domain names do not replace networking
DNS translates names into connection information. It does not open a firewall, start a server, or forward a closed port. The underlying IP and port must already be reachable using the correct protocol.
A, AAAA, CNAME, and SRV
An A record points a name to IPv4; AAAA points to IPv6. A CNAME aliases one hostname to another. An SRV record publishes a service target and port. Minecraft Java commonly uses an SRV record so players can enter a hostname without a custom port. Bedrock clients often require the port to be entered separately, depending on platform and routing design.
Cloudflare proxy limitations
The normal orange-cloud web proxy is designed for supported web traffic, not arbitrary Minecraft TCP or UDP. DNS records used for game connections are usually DNS-only unless a dedicated compatible proxy product is used. An SRV record also points to a hostname, not directly to an IP address.
Wildcard records and scale
A wildcard such as *.example.com can resolve many user subdomains to one gateway without creating a DNS record per server. The gateway must then route each connection to the correct backend. DNS alone cannot distinguish every backend if all users share one host and port without a proxy protocol that understands the requested destination.
TTL and propagation
DNS changes are cached for the record’s time to live. Some resolvers keep older answers temporarily. During migration, lower TTL in advance, keep the old destination available, and verify from multiple networks before removing it.
Troubleshooting order
Resolve the hostname, inspect the returned IP, verify the SRV target and port, test the raw IP and port, confirm TCP or UDP firewall rules, and then inspect the game server. This separates DNS failures from service failures.
What to display to users
Show the exact value the player must enter. For Bedrock, that often means a Server Address field and a Port field. For Java with working SRV, a single hostname may be enough. Avoid labels that imply the domain removes every port requirement.
Editorial review notes
This article is written for small Minecraft communities and self-service hosting users. Exact commands, limits, APIs, and compatibility can vary by edition, software build, node configuration, and installed extensions. Test changes on a copy, keep backups, and consult the current project documentation for version-specific requirements.