An SRV record is a DNS entry that points a named service to a hostname, port, priority, and weight. It does not replace A or AAAA records for your website. SIP, Minecraft, and some Microsoft services use SRV; WordPress and normal browsers do not. When a vendor gives you an SRV record, enter it exactly as they specify.
What an SRV record contains
The owner name is usually written like _service._proto.example.com. The underscores are required, so _sip._tls.example.com is not the same as sip.example.com. Each record also carries a priority, a weight, a port number, and a target hostname. Priority works like MX priority: the lower number is preferred first. Weight splits traffic among records that share the same priority. Zero weight is valid and often means the other record should take the load. Copy the vendor’s numbers rather than inventing your own.
The target must be a hostname that resolves with A or AAAA data. Do not put a bare IP address in the target field. Pointing at a name that is itself a CNAME works for some clients and fails for others, so prefer a name that has A or AAAA when you can.
How to read a vendor SRV line
A typical Microsoft 365 line looks like _sip._tls.example.com 100 1 443 sipdir.online.lync.com. Those pieces are name, priority, weight, port, and target. cPanel has a dedicated SRV form with a field for each value. If you paste the whole line into a TXT box, the vendor’s checker will report the SRV as missing because it really is missing. Minecraft uses the same shape with _minecraft._tcp and a different port. SIP, XMPP, and some game panels follow the same pattern.
Adding the record in cPanel
Open the DNS zone editor and choose the SRV record type. Fill in service, protocol, priority, weight, port, and target exactly as the vendor listed them. Save the change and wait for DNS to propagate before you re-run their checker. An SRV you created as TXT because the form felt confusing is a record the vendor cannot find.
Browsers will not use SRV to find your website, and neither will WP Toolkit. If a migration checklist mentioned SRV, it was for mail or chat, not for the homepage. Leave the web on A and AAAA records, including www. CAA is a different named policy record and is not SRV. See CAA issuewild vs issue if the real problem is certificates rather than SIP or chat.
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