DNS records explained: A, CNAME, MX and TXT in plain language

What the common DNS record types do, with simple examples and the mistakes that break websites and email.

DNS is the phone book of the internet. It turns a name like example.com into the server that should answer. You manage it with records, and four types cover most needs.

A and AAAA

An A record points a name to an IPv4 address. An AAAA record does the same for IPv6. This is how your domain finds your web server.

CNAME

A CNAME points one name to another name. It is common for www, so www.example.com follows example.com, and for services that give you a hostname to point to. A CNAME cannot share a name with other records, which is why it is not used on the bare domain by most providers.

MX

MX records say where email for your domain goes. A wrong or missing MX record means lost mail. Each MX has a priority number, and lower numbers are tried first.

TXT

TXT records hold text that other services read. You will see them for domain verification and for email protection such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

TTL and propagation

TTL is how long resolvers cache an answer. A low TTL before a change makes the switch faster. "Propagation" is just caches expiring at different times.

When something breaks, check records with a DNS lookup tool first. It is faster than guessing.