DNS Record Types
What DNS is (explained in very simple terms)
DNS stands for Domain Name System. In simple words, DNS is the Phone Book of the Internet.
Why are DNS records needed?
The Human remembers names like google.com, github.com, etc. While the computers communicate using IP addresses like 101.102.103.104. DNS translates the human-friendly names into machine-friendly IP Addresses.
What an NS Record is (who is responsible for a domain)
An NS Record (Name Server Record) tells the Internet who is responsible for a domain’s DNS
What an A Record is (domain → IPv4 address)
An A Record (Address Record) maps a domain name to an IPv4 Address. It tells the internet where (which server) your domain lives.
What an AAAA Record is (domain → IPv6 address)
IPv4 addresses are limited. IPv6 was created to solve address exhaustion. It is similar to A Record.
What a CNAME Record is (one name pointing to another name)
A CName Record (Cononical Name Record) makes on domain name point to another domain name.
What an MX Record is (how emails find your mail server)
An MX Record (Mail Exchange Record) tells the Internet which mail servers should receive email for your domain.
What a TXT Record is (extra information and verification)
A TXT Record (Text Record) stores extra information about a domain and is commonly used for verification, security, and configuration.
How all DNS records work together for one website
DNS records work together to answer four questions:
Who manages this domain? (NS)
- The value of NS tells the Internet, “Who manages this domain?”
Where is the website hosted? (A / AAAA / CNAME)
- Browsers use these to find the web server
Where should emails go? (NX)
- The email server uses these values todetermine where to deliver emails
Can this domain be trusted? (TXT)
Prevents email spoofing
Verify domain ownership
Enable services & SSL