# MTA link domain points to the sending IP, not the ESP IP

Velocity MTA is more than just an MTA, it's actually a Docker container with multiple components.

One of these components is a webserver that handles all incoming web traffic for email sent through the MTA completely independently of the ESP platform. 

This means the IP address you're using in your MTA to send email also must be the IP address you use on your link domain which is used in your email templates.

In our example below, the sending IP used by the MTA is 1.2.3.4, the Header Domain velocity.bobshotdogs.com would be a DNS A record pointing to 1.2.3.4, and the link domain links.bobshotdogs.com would also be an A record pointing to 1.2.3.4. 

<figure><img src="/files/LetnDtNvuEFVJKHN0FbW" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="danger" %}
If links.bobshotdogs.com has a DNS A record pointing to the IP address of the VPS the ESP platform is running on instead of an MTA sending IP, many things will not work correctly.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

You can use any Sending IP properly configured in the MTA for a link domain DNS record.&#x20;

The link domain doesn't have to use the same Sending IP on the same row in the Velocity MTA Server page in the UI that matches the Header Domain; the link domain DNS A record can point to any Sending IP available, including a Sending IP associated with a different Header Domain.  &#x20;


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