DNS Guard is the automatic check Traxio runs during an account’s first 30 days to confirm its domain is actually pointed at Traxio. It’s what lets Traxio offer 30 days free with no card, and keep hosting at £0.99 a month afterwards.
The full policy is in section 11 of the terms of service. This page explains it in plain English.
What it checks
One thing: whether the domain your hosting account was set up with resolves to your Traxio server.
It doesn’t matter how you point it. Both of these pass:
- Traxio’s nameservers at your registrar How to point your domain to Traxio (change nameservers)
- your own DNS provider, with an A record pointing to your Traxio server Connecting a domain without changing nameservers (using A records)
Your email can live somewhere else, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. DNS Guard only looks at where the domain itself points.
The timeline
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| The first 48 hours after signup | Your account is never suspended, whatever your DNS is doing |
| Days 1 to 30 | DNS Guard checks your domain periodically |
| Your domain stops (or never starts) resolving to Traxio | A countdown begins |
| 24 hours of continuous failure, on an account at least 48 hours old | The account may be suspended, and you’re emailed when it happens |
| Your domain points to Traxio again | The account is restored automatically at the next check, with a further email |
| The account is more than 30 days old | Checks stop and your DNS is no longer enforced |
A few details matter:
- Continuous means continuous. If your domain resolves correctly at any check during the countdown, the countdown ends.
- Inconclusive checks never count against you. If a lookup fails, or there’s no expected address on file, no action is taken.
- Don’t change your account’s domain in DirectAdmin. DirectAdmin allows it, but DNS Guard keeps checking the domain your hosting account was set up with. Change the domain and that original domain can stop pointing to Traxio, which is exactly what leads to a suspension.
- Suspended accounts keep being checked whatever their age, so they can be restored as soon as DNS is fixed.
Note: The email is sent when a suspension takes effect, not beforehand. The 48-hour minimum and the 24-hour countdown are the notice period, so the simplest way to never see that email is to connect your domain on the day you sign up.
Cloudflare
If your domain is proxied through Cloudflare, it resolves to a Cloudflare address rather than your Traxio server. DNS Guard recognises Cloudflare’s addresses and treats them as correct, so the orange-cloud proxy won’t cause a suspension. Using Cloudflare with Traxio hosting
Cloudflare is the only CDN or proxy Traxio supports. A domain routed through any other provider won’t pass the check.
Why Traxio does it
Traxio’s free trial needs no card. That makes it easy to try hosting properly, and it also means a lot of accounts are opened and never set up: no domain is connected, no website is uploaded, and the account sits idle.
Every one of those accounts still reserves space and resources on a shared server. Left alone, idle trial accounts would crowd the servers that paying customers’ websites run on, and push up the cost of running them.
DNS Guard identifies accounts that were never set up so that capacity can be reclaimed. That is its only purpose, and it’s why:
- it only runs for the first 30 days. After that, an account is clearly in use and DNS is your business.
- it suspends rather than deletes. If you simply haven’t got round to connecting your domain yet, nothing is lost.
- it restores automatically. There’s no ticket to open and no one to persuade; fix DNS and the account comes back.
- it doesn’t care how you configure DNS, only that the domain reaches your hosting.
This is part of how hosting stays at £0.99 a month: the servers are used by websites, not reserved by accounts that were never going to become one.
Staying clear of it
- Connect your domain as soon as your account is created. Connect your domain to Traxio
- Check it resolves to your server. How to check your domain is pointing to Traxio
- Keep the domain your account was set up with. Changing it in DirectAdmin isn’t recommended.
- If you’re moving an existing site and need longer, point the domain first and build the site afterwards: DNS Guard checks where the domain points, not whether there’s a website on it yet.
Suspended already? Account suspended because your domain isn’t pointing to Traxio
Questions people ask
What does DNS Guard check?
Whether the domain your hosting account was set up with resolves to your Traxio server. It checks periodically during the first 30 days of an account.
How long do I have to connect my domain?
An account is never suspended before it is 48 hours old, and only after the domain has failed to point to Traxio continuously for 24 hours. Connecting your domain on the day you sign up avoids any risk.
Will I lose my website or email if my account is suspended?
No. Suspension is reversible and nothing is deleted. The account is restored automatically once your domain points to Traxio again.
Does DNS Guard work with Cloudflare?
Yes. Cloudflare’s addresses are recognised as correct, so proxying your domain through Cloudflare won’t cause a suspension.
Can I change my account’s domain in DirectAdmin?
DirectAdmin lets you, but it isn’t recommended. DNS Guard keeps checking the domain your hosting account was set up with, so changing the domain can lead to the account being suspended.
Does DNS Guard keep checking after 30 days?
No. Once an account is more than 30 days old the checks stop and your DNS setup is no longer enforced. The only exception is an account that is already suspended, which keeps being checked so it can be restored.
Still choosing a host? How Traxio’s free hosting works explains exactly what the 30 free days include and what happens on day 31.