DNS records are the building blocks of the Domain Name System. Each record type serves a specific purpose, from mapping domain names to IP addresses to configuring email servers and verifying domain ownership.
A and AAAA Records
A records map domain names to IPv4 addresses (e.g., 93.184.216.34). AAAA records do the same for IPv6 addresses (e.g., 2606:2800:220:1:248:1893:25c8:1946). These are the most fundamental DNS records, directing traffic to your servers. Most domains have both A and AAAA records for IPv4 and IPv6 compatibility.
MX Records
MX (Mail Exchange) records specify the mail servers responsible for receiving email for a domain. They include a priority value—lower numbers have higher priority. A domain typically has multiple MX records for redundancy. Query MX records to validate email infrastructure or route emails correctly.
TXT Records
TXT records store arbitrary text data. Common uses include SPF records (email authentication), DKIM keys (email signing), DMARC policies (email handling instructions), domain verification tokens, and security policies. TXT records are essential for email deliverability and domain ownership verification.
CNAME and NS Records
CNAME (Canonical Name) records create aliases—one domain pointing to another. They're useful for subdomains that should resolve to the same IP as another domain. NS (Name Server) records identify the authoritative DNS servers for a domain. Changing NS records is how you switch DNS providers.
SOA Records
SOA (Start of Authority) records contain administrative information about the DNS zone: the primary nameserver, administrator email, serial number, and timing parameters for zone transfers. SOA records are useful for debugging DNS configuration and understanding zone authority.