Connect a domain's email to Hostup web hosting

3 steps · Checked against the API code 3 November 2026

A guide does one task from start to finish. Every endpoint, with all its fields and cases, is in the API reference.

When the mailboxes are on a Hostup web hosting account, the hosting can write the domain’s email records itself. One call adds the MX, SPF and DKIM records and makes the hosting accept the domain’s mail. For any other mail provider, follow Set up MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC for a domain.

Before you start

The requests use your key from $HOSTUP_API_KEY (Quickstart). The key needs the scopes write:hosting, write:dns and console:services. Keys and scopes
The ID of the hosting account, acct_…. List web hosting accounts if you don’t have it.
The domain on that account, as its main, addon or parked domain. List hosting domains shows them. Add a domain to web hosting adds one.

export ACCOUNT_ID="acct_…"   # your hosting account: List web hosting accounts

Steps

1. Read the setup state

Get the DNS setup of a hosting domain shows what the domain’s website and mail point at now.

curl "https://cloud.hostup.se/api/v2/shared-hosting/$ACCOUNT_ID/domains/dns-setup?domain=example.com" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOSTUP_API_KEY"

{
  "domain": "example.com",
  "enabled": true,
  "delegation": "hostup",
  "hostingIp": "192.0.2.10",
  "classification": {
    "website": "elsewhere",
    "mail": "missing",
    "mx": [],
    "requiresChoice": true,
    "recommendedPreference": "email-only",
    "…": "…"
  },
  "revision": "5f8c1d2e9a7b4c3d6e1f0a9b8c7d6e5f4a3b2c1d0e9f8a7b6c5d4e3f2a1b0c9d",
  "publication": null,
  "canApply": true,
  "…": "…"
}

Go on only when enabled and canApply are true. Keep revision. Step 2 sends it back.

export REVISION="…"   # revision above

classification.mail says where mail goes now: hosting, elsewhere, missing or disabled.
delegation is hostup when the domain uses Hostup’s nameservers.

2. Apply the setup

Choose email-only to move email to the hosting and leave the website records alone. Choose full to move both the website and email.

curl -X POST "https://cloud.hostup.se/api/v2/shared-hosting/$ACCOUNT_ID/domains/dns-setup" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOSTUP_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "domain": "example.com",
    "preference": "email-only",
    "revision": "'$REVISION'"
  }'

{
  "success": true,
  "domain": "example.com",
  "preference": "email-only",
  "status": "done"
}

For email, the setup writes these records in the domain’s zone:

An MX record on the domain pointing at mail.example.com with priority 10.
An A record for mail with the hosting’s address.
The SPF record with the hosting’s servers added. Senders already in it stay.
A DKIM TXT record at default._domainkey with the hosting’s key.

The setup also switches the hosting’s email routing for the domain to local. The hosting account then accepts mail for the domain. An existing DMARC record stays as it is. The setup does not add one. Add it as in Set the DMARC record.

If the setup answers 409 dns_plan_conflict

The records cannot be changed automatically. Add them yourself with Create a DNS record, in this order:

An A record for mail with hostingIp from step 1.
An MX record at @ for mail.example.com with priority 10.
include:spf.hostup.se in the domain’s SPF record.
The DKIM record. Check DKIM, SPF and DMARC for a domain gives its name in dkim.name and its value in dkim.requiredValue.
Email routing local with Set email routing for a domain.

Set up MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC for a domain shows each of these requests.

3. Check that mail goes to the hosting

"status": "done" in step 2 means the zone matches the setup. "pending" means it does not yet. Read the setup state again until publication is no longer pending and classification.mail is hosting.

curl "https://cloud.hostup.se/api/v2/shared-hosting/$ACCOUNT_ID/domains/dns-setup?domain=example.com" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOSTUP_API_KEY"

{
  "domain": "example.com",
  "classification": {
    "mail": "hosting",
    "…": "…"
  },
  "publication": "done",
  "…": "…"
}

publication is pending while the setup is not in the zone yet. The first read that finds it in place says done. Later reads say null.

If `delegation` is `external`

The setup can be applied while the domain uses other nameservers. Nothing is live until the nameservers point at Hostup. Change a domain’s nameservers shows how.

What happens next

The records are in the domain’s zone when step 3 shows hosting. Mail servers that looked up the old MX records can keep using them until the old TTL has passed. Keep the old mailboxes until then.

Next: Set the DMARC record, which the setup leaves to you.

Errors you may hit

The setup answers 409 with one of these codes when it refuses:

409 dns_changed: the records changed after your read. Read the state again (step 1) and send the new revision.
409 dns_forwarding_active: email forwarding is on for the domain. Turn it off with Turn domain email forwarding on or off, as in Set up email DNS.
409 dns_mirror_pending: the hosting’s view of the zone is still updating. Read the state again a little later and send the new revision.
409 dns_busy: another DNS change for the domain is running. Try again shortly.
409 dns_mail_key_unavailable: the hosting’s DKIM key for the domain is not ready yet. Try again shortly.
409 dns_redirect_active, only with full: the domain has a redirect. Remove the redirect or choose email-only.
409 dns_plan_conflict: the records cannot be changed automatically. Add them yourself as in step 2.
409 dns_not_enabled: this hosting account does not offer the setup. Step 1 shows enabled as false.