DNS
DNS Record Types Explained (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, CAA)
DNS isn't just A records. Modern domains use 7+ record types — and using the wrong one is a common cause of broken email, broken HTTPS, and broken services.
Try our DNS checkerA and AAAA records
A maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. AAAA maps to IPv6. Use both for dual-stack support — major CDNs and clouds support both. Most modern resolvers prefer IPv6 if available.
CNAME
Aliases one hostname to another. www.example.com CNAME → example.com. Cannot coexist with other records at the same name (e.g. you can't have CNAME and MX at the apex). Use ALIAS or ANAME records (provider-specific) at the apex.
MX records
Mail exchange — where mail for the domain should be delivered. Lower priority = preferred. Always have a backup MX (different infrastructure if possible) for redundancy.
TXT records
Free-form text. Used by SPF DKIM DMARC BIMI MTA-STS domain verification challenges. A single TXT can have multiple strings concatenated by the resolver.
SRV records
Service records — used by SIP XMPP autodiscover etc. Format: _service._proto. with priority/weight/port/target. Rarely needed for web.
CAA records
Restricts which certificate authorities can issue SSL certs for your domain. See our caa-records guide.
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