“DNS is the backbone of the internet.” Anyone who has studied networking has heard this. But why is DNS called that? The reason is that it is the only system that allows computers to navigate the internet.
DNS stands for Domain Name System, and its core function is to translate domain names into IP addresses. Without this translation, you would be unable to search for websites using their names.
DNS records make this process work. Each record has a specific job. Some help visitors reach a website, while others direct email or prove that a domain belongs to you.
Understanding these records can help you manage a website, fix common errors, and keep your online services running well.
What Are DNS Records?
So, what are DNS records? In the simplest terms, they are just a small text document with a specific type of formatting. A domain can have many types of DNS records. Each record does something specific. For example, we have the “A” record, which contains the IP address of the domain.
When your computer searches for a website using its domain name, it actually requests the DNS system to provide it with the A record through a process known as DNS resolution. Once it gets the A record, it uses the IP address to navigate to the website.
There are many types of DNS records, but four are especially useful to understand: A, CNAME, MX, and TXT. Let’s see what they do and why they are so important.
-
A Record: Connecting a Domain to an IP Address
An A record maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. This IP address tells computers which server to go to to reach the website.
For example, let’s say we have a domain called “example.com.” Its A record maps it to the IP 192.0.2.1. So, when your computer wants to go to example.com, it will fetch its A record, get that IP from it, and then connect to the server with that IP.
Without an A record, computers would never know the IP address of the website they want to reach.
A record
| Type | Name | Value | TTL |
| A | example.com | 192.0.2.1 | 3600 |
A records are often used for websites and subdomains. If you move your website to a new server (i.e by changing your hosting), you will need to update this record with the new IP address.
Aside from an A record, there is also an AAAA record. It serves a similar purpose but links a domain to an IPv6 address instead of IPv4. A domain can have both A and AAAA records.
-
CNAME Record: Pointing One Name to Another
CNAME records are special. They don’t map a domain name to an IP address; instead, they map it to another domain name.
This record is commonly used to point subdomain names to main domain names. For example, let’s say you have a domain called “www.example.com,” but you want it to go to the same place as the domain “example.com” (www.example.com is a subdomain). Then you would use a CNAME record to point www.example.com to example.com.
CNAME record
| Type | Name | Points To | TTL |
| CNAME | www.example.com | example.com | 3600 |
Anyone who enters www.example.com would reach example.com because of the CNAME record.
This record is useful when a website or online service gives you a hostname to use. You can point your subdomain to that hostname instead of entering an IP address yourself.
So, to reiterate, a CNAME record points to another name, not directly to an IP address. Also, a standard CNAME cannot share its name with other record types.
-
MX Record: Directing Email to the Right Server
MX stands for mail exchange. This is a record type that tells other email services where to deliver emails for your domain. It specifies the server that will handle the emails.
So, let’s say your email address is:
In this case, the domain is:
example.com
Then you need to create an MX record that specifies which server all email directed at [email protected] should be sent to.
Without MX records, the emails wouldn’t be able to find their destination and never reach you.
MX record
| Type | Name | Priority | Mail Server | TTL |
| MX | example.com | 10 | mail.example.com | 3600 |
A domain can have multiple MX records. An MX record can have “priority” values. These dictate which server should be preferred for receiving emails. The server with higher priority typically handles most emails, while the lower priority server only works when there is too much load on the higher priority one.
Incorrect MX records can stop you from receiving emails. If messages are missing or bouncing back, checking these records is a useful first step.
You can use an MX Lookup tool to check which mail servers a domain lists and review their priority values. This can help you spot missing or incorrect mail settings.
-
TXT Record: Storing Text for Verification and Security
TXT records are special DNS records that can have literally any kind of value. They are typically used for domain verification and email security.
For example, if you are hiring a 3rd party email service provider (ESP) for your domain, they will give you a specific TXT record to add to your domain so that they can verify it’s yours.
TXT record
| Type | Name | Value | TTL |
| TXT | example.com | “v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all” | 3600 |
Aside from that, TXT records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help protect your domain against spoofing and improve email deliverability. Here’s what each record does:
- SPF: Lists which servers can send email for your domain.
- DKIM: Helps mail servers check that an email has a valid digital signature.
- DMARC: Tells receiving mail servers how to handle messages that fail certain email checks.
These settings can help reduce email spoofing, where someone sends messages that appear to come from your domain.
How to Check DNS Records for a Domain
As you can see, DNS records do important things for a website. So, you can’t mess around with them. When publishing records for your domain, you have to be extra careful and precise.
Even after they are published, you need to keep an eye on them via DNS lookups. You do not need to be a network expert to do DNS lookups. Online lookup tools can easily show you the records that are publicly available for a domain.
A DNS record lookup tool can help you review different record types in one place. Enter a domain name and inspect the results to see its DNS setup.
Here are a few things to check:
- A record: Does the domain point to the expected IP address?
- CNAME record: Does the alias point to the correct hostname?
- MX record: Are the expected mail servers listed?
- TXT record: Are the required verification and email security values present?
You should check these things after you make changes such as updating records, switching hosts, or switching domains.
Final Thoughts
A, CNAME, MX, and TXT records each serve a different purpose. A records connect domain names to IPv4 addresses, CNAME records create aliases, MX records direct email, and TXT records store verification and security data.
Knowing how these records work makes it easier to manage a domain and fix common problems. When you need to check a website’s setup or troubleshoot email delivery, a DNS lookup can give you useful details without requiring complex network tools.