DNS Records Explained Simply: A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, TXT

DNS records map domain names to various services. Here is what each type does in plain language.

A Record

Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. When someone visits example.com, the A record tells their browser which server IP to connect to. This is the most fundamental DNS record. You can have multiple A records for load balancing.

AAAA Record

Same as an A record but for IPv6 addresses. The name comes from the fact that IPv6 addresses are four times longer than IPv4. As IPv6 adoption grows, AAAA records are increasingly important.

CNAME Record

Creates an alias from one domain name to another. If blog.example.com has a CNAME pointing to example.netlify.app, browsers resolve blog.example.com by first looking up example.netlify.app and using its A record. CNAMEs cannot coexist with other record types on the same name.

MX Record

Specifies mail servers for a domain. When someone emails [email protected], the sender's mail server looks up MX records to find where to deliver. MX records have priority values — lower numbers are tried first. You need these to receive email.

TXT Record

Stores arbitrary text. Used for domain verification (Google, Stripe, and others ask you to add a TXT record to prove you own the domain), SPF records (which servers can send email for your domain), DKIM signatures, and DMARC policies.

NS Record

Specifies which name servers are authoritative for your domain. When you change DNS providers, you update NS records at your registrar. These records delegate the responsibility for answering DNS queries about your domain.

Debugging DNS

Use our DNS Lookup tool to check all record types for any domain. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally, though most propagate within minutes. TTL (Time To Live) values control how long records are cached by resolvers.