DNS Records (A, MX, CNAME, TXT) Explained

Modified on Fri, Nov 25, 2022 at 9:53 AM

The DNS record types that you will deal with most often are listed below with a brief explanation of their purpose:

  • A (Address Record) - specifies IP addresses corresponding to your domain and its subdomains, used to map a host name to an IP address.

  • MX (Mail Exchange) - specifies where the emails for your domain should be delivered, this record can be set to point to an IP address or a domain name/subdomain.

  • CNAME (Canonical Name) - specifies an alias for host names of your domain. 

  • TXT (Text) - these records are used to store text-based information related to your domain. One of their most common uses is for SPF data. SPF, or Sender Policy Framework, is an attempt to control forged email.

All of your domain's DNS records are stored in its DNS zone. The active DNS zone for your domain is determined by the domain's name servers (DNS Servers). A domain's name servers are set with the domain's registrar.


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