What are the most common DNS record types?

The most common DNS record types are: A (maps domain to IPv4 address), AAAA (maps domain to IPv6 address), MX (mail servers), TXT (text data for SPF/DKIM/DMARC verification), CNAME (domain alias), NS (nameservers), and SOA (zone authority information).

What is the difference between an A record and a CNAME record?

An A record maps a domain name directly to an IPv4 address. A CNAME (Canonical Name) record maps one domain name to another domain name (an alias). CNAMEs are useful for subdomains like www — they can point to the root domain, so you only update one A record when the IP changes.

Can I have multiple DNS records of the same type?

Yes, most DNS record types allow multiple records. For example, you can have multiple A records for load balancing (DNS round-robin), multiple MX records with different priorities for mail failover, and multiple TXT records for different verification services (SPF, DKIM, Google verification, etc.).

DNS Record Types

DNS records are instructions stored in DNS servers that provide information about a domain, including IP addresses (A and AAAA), mail servers (MX), and other details.

A Record

Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address.

example.com → 192.0.2.1

AAAA Record

Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address.

example.com → 2001:db8::1

MX Records

Specifies mail servers for receiving email.

example.com → mail.example.com

TXT Records

Contains text information for verification.

SPF, DKIM, DMARC

NS Record

Delegates a zone to use authoritative name servers.

example.com → ns1.example.com

CNAME Records

Maps an alias to the canonical name.

www → example.com

SOA Record

Contains administrative information about the zone.

Serial, Refresh, Retry

Try it on your domain

See the theory in practice — run a DNS Lookup for your own domain.