DNS Records Explained: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX and TXT for Beginners

DNS is the internet's phone book: it translates human-friendly names like example.com into machine addresses like 93.184.216.34. That translation happens through DNS records — small entries published by every domain. There are dozens of record types, but seven cover almost everything you will ever meet. Here is what each one does, in plain English.

The 7 records that matter

Record	Maps a domain to…	Everyday job
A	An IPv4 address	"Where is this website?"
AAAA	An IPv6 address	Same, for modern networks
CNAME	Another domain name	Aliases (www → root domain)
MX	Mail servers	"Where does this domain's email go?"
TXT	Free-form text	Email security (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), ownership proof
NS	Name servers	"Who answers DNS queries for this domain?"
SOA	Zone metadata	Version and refresh rules for the zone

A and AAAA — the address records

An A record points a name at an IPv4 address (93.184.216.34); AAAA does the same for IPv6 (2606:2800:220:1::…). When you type a URL, your device asks for these first. Most domains publish both, and your device automatically prefers IPv6 when available.

CNAME — the alias

A CNAME says "this name is just another name for that name." Classic use: www.example.com → CNAME → example.com, so both addresses reach the same site while the IP is only maintained in one place. One rule to remember: the root domain itself cannot be a CNAME — that is why hosting providers give you A records or special ALIAS records for the apex.

MX — where email goes

MX records list the mail servers that accept email for a domain, each with a priority number — lower is tried first. A domain using Google Workspace typically shows smtp.google.com with priority 1. No MX records? That domain effectively cannot receive email. Diagnosing "my emails are bouncing" starts with an MX record lookup.

TXT — the Swiss army record

TXT records carry text, and today that text is mostly security policy:

• SPF (v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all) — which servers may send email for this domain
• DKIM — the public key that verifies email signatures
• DMARC (on the _dmarc subdomain) — what receivers should do when SPF/DKIM fail
• Verification strings — Google, Microsoft and most SaaS tools prove domain ownership this way

Misconfigured SPF/DMARC is the number-one reason legitimate email lands in spam. Check any domain's setup with a TXT record lookup.

NS and SOA — the plumbing

NS records name the servers that hold the domain's zone (e.g. dns1.registrar.com), and the SOA record carries zone housekeeping: serial number, refresh intervals and the responsible party. You rarely touch these unless you are migrating DNS providers.

What is TTL?

Every record carries a TTL (Time To Live) — how many seconds resolvers may cache it. TTL 300 means changes propagate within 5 minutes; TTL 86400 means up to a day. Lower the TTL before a planned migration, not after.

Try it yourself

Run any domain through our DNS Lookup — it queries live resolvers over encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS and shows every record type covered here, with names, TTLs and values.

Frequently asked questions

How long do DNS changes take to propagate? Up to the old record's TTL. The common "24-48 hours" advice is outdated caution — with a TTL of 300, most of the internet sees your change in minutes.

What is the difference between an A record and a CNAME? An A record points to an IP address; a CNAME points to another name, which is then resolved in turn. CNAMEs are easier to maintain; A records are one hop faster.

Can a domain have multiple A records? Yes — that is basic load balancing. Resolvers rotate between the listed IPs (round-robin DNS).