example.com has. A PTR answers the reverse: what name 192.0.2.10 has.
Why you need it
The main scenario is mail servers. When your server sends an email, the receiving side checks whether the name in the PTR matches what the server introduced itself as. If there’s no PTR, or it doesn’t match, the email will almost certainly land in spam or be rejected. For a regular website, you don’t need a PTR. It matters precisely when you’re sending mail from your own server.How PTR differs from an A record
| A record (forward) | PTR record (reverse) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | name → IP | IP → name |
| Who manages it | you, in your domain’s DNS | the owner of the IP block, i.e. the host |
| Where it lives | at your DNS provider | at Lumi |
How to get one from Lumi
Prepare the A record
The domain whose name you want to see in the PTR must have a forward A record pointing to this same IP. The name usually matches the mail server’s name, for example
mail.example.com → 192.0.2.10. Forward and reverse must point to each other.Write to support
Open @lumisup_robot and ask to set up a PTR. Include:
- the server’s IP address (it’s on the VPS card in the bot);
- the desired name (for example,
mail.example.com).
Verification
Once it’s set up, check the PTR with:mail.example.com.). If dig isn’t installed, install it (apt install dnsutils) or use an online service like mxtoolbox.com.
Where to next
SSL certificate
Free HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt — the next step for a mail server.