PlayInfoBox

Home /Network /DNS Record Types Explained: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS

DNS Record Types Explained: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS

Tap a record type to see what it actually does when you are setting up a domain.

A Record (Address)

The most basic record type, pointing a domain name to an IPv4 address. When you type example.com into a browser, the A record is what tells it the actual server address, such as 203.0.113.10, to connect to.

AAAA Record

Does the same job as an A record but points to an IPv6 address instead. A server that supports both often has an A and an AAAA record registered side by side, a setup known as dual-stack, and the connecting device picks whichever it can use.

CNAME Record (Canonical Name)

Points one domain to another domain as an alias rather than to an IP address directly. Setting www.example.com's CNAME to example.com means a visit to the www address simply follows through to whatever IP example.com currently resolves to.

MX Record (Mail Exchange)

Specifies which mail server should receive email sent to a domain. A domain can list several MX records, each with a priority number β€” mail servers always try the record with the lowest number first, and only move to a higher-numbered one if that first server does not respond.

TXT Record (Text)

Stores arbitrary, human-readable text tied to a domain. It is most often used for SPF records that specify which servers are allowed to send mail on a domain's behalf, DKIM keys that help receivers verify a message was not forged, and one-off ownership verification codes for services like search consoles.

NS Record (Name Server)

Identifies which name servers actually hold and manage a domain's DNS records β€” a step called delegation. Once a registrar points a domain at a new set of name servers, every future lookup of that domain's A, CNAME, MX, and other records is answered by those name servers.

Changing where your DNS queries go is a different topic

The records here are entries a domain owner manages, describing that domain. If what you actually want to change is which DNS server your own device asks for lookups, that's a separate setting covered by how DNS resolution works more broadly β€” a different task from registering records for a domain you control.

A domain and its hosting are two separate things

Registering a domain name and setting up the server it should point to (hosting) are two distinct steps. Understanding what a domain name actually is makes it much easier to see why these records exist in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I change a record, does it take effect immediately?

No. Every DNS record carries a TTL (time to live) value that controls how long resolvers around the world are allowed to cache the old answer, so a change can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days to fully propagate everywhere.

For MX record priority, is a lower number or a higher number preferred?

Lower is higher priority. A mail server always attempts delivery to the MX record with the lowest priority number first, and only falls back to the next-lowest number if that first server fails to respond.