DNS Lookup Guide: A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and Every Record Type Explained
A and AAAA Records
A records map a domain to an IPv4 address (e.g., example.com → 93.184.216.34). AAAA records map to IPv6 addresses. These are the most fundamental records — they tell browsers where to send traffic when someone visits your domain.
CNAME Records
A CNAME (Canonical Name) is an alias that points one domain to another domain name (not an IP). Example: www.example.com → example.com. Important: you cannot use CNAME at a root domain (apex) — use an A record instead. CNAME is commonly used for subdomains pointing to CDN or hosting providers.
MX Records
Mail Exchange records specify the mail server responsible for receiving email for a domain. Each MX record has a priority value — lower numbers have higher priority. Example: mail.example.com with priority 10. Multiple MX records provide redundancy.
TXT Records
TXT records store text strings — used for domain verification, SPF (email authentication), DKIM, and DMARC. SPF defines which servers are authorized to send email for your domain. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to emails. DMARC defines what to do when SPF/DKIM checks fail.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Use the free DNS Lookup tool to query A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other records.
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