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What are DNS records
Short answer
A DNS record is a line in a domain’s zone that tells the internet where to look: which IP address hosts the site, which server accepts mail, whether a domain is allowed to send mail. Each record type handles its own job.
Source: general DNS rules (RFC 1034, RFC 1035)
The most common record types
| Type | What it’s for |
|---|---|
A | Points to a server’s IPv4 address — usually the record that shows where the site lives. |
AAAA | The same as A, but for an IPv6 address. |
CNAME | An alias: the domain points to another name instead of directly to an IP. Not allowed on the root domain. |
MX | Says which server accepts mail for the domain; there can be several MX records with different priorities. |
TXT | Free-form text in the zone; most often used to verify domain ownership and for SPF/DKIM/DMARC. |
NS | Says which nameservers are responsible for the domain’s zone — they’re the ones that hand out every other record. |
What TTL means
TTL (Time To Live) is how many seconds a resolver may keep a record cached before asking again. A shorter TTL means changes spread faster, but generates more DNS queries.
FAQ
Why doesn’t a record change take effect right away?
Resolvers around the world cache the previous value for the TTL period. Until it expires, some visitors will still see the old address.
How many MX or TXT records can a domain have?
Several: each MX record has a priority (a lower number means higher priority), and there can be multiple TXT records for different purposes (SPF, DKIM, verification).