Data lookups
DNS record types
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, DKIM, DMARC and friends explained.
18 entries.
| Type | Name | What it does | Example value |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Address | Points a name at an IPv4 address. | 203.0.113.10 |
| AAAA | IPv6 address | Points a name at an IPv6 address. | 2001:db8::1 |
| CNAME | Canonical name | Aliases one name to another. Not allowed at the root of a domain. | www → example.com |
| MX | Mail exchange | Where email for the domain should be delivered. Lower priority wins. | 10 mail.example.com |
| TXT | Text | Free-form text — used for SPF, verification and more. | v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all |
| NS | Name server | Which servers are authoritative for the zone. | ns1.example.com |
| SOA | Start of authority | Zone metadata: primary server, contact, serial and timers. | ns1.example.com. admin.example.com. 2026080501 |
| PTR | Pointer | Reverse lookup — IP address back to a name. Important for mail reputation. | 10.113.0.203.in-addr.arpa → mail.example.com |
| SRV | Service | Locates the host and port for a named service. | _sip._tcp 10 60 5060 sip.example.com |
| CAA | Certification authority authorisation | Restricts which CAs may issue certificates for the domain. | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
| SPF (TXT) | Sender Policy Framework | Lists the servers allowed to send mail as your domain. | v=spf1 ip4:203.0.113.10 -all |
| DKIM (TXT) | DomainKeys Identified Mail | Publishes the public key that signs your outgoing mail. | selector._domainkey → v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGf… |
| DMARC (TXT) | Domain-based Message Authentication | Tells receivers what to do when SPF/DKIM fail, and where to report. | _dmarc → v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com |
| ALIAS / ANAME | Flattened alias | CNAME-like behaviour at the domain root. Provider-specific, not a real standard. | example.com → target.cdn.net |
| DS | Delegation signer | Links a child zone into DNSSEC. | 12345 13 2 49FD46E6C4B45C55D4AC… |
| DNSKEY | DNS key | Public key used to verify DNSSEC signatures. | 256 3 13 mdsswUyr3DPW132mOi8V9x… |
| NAPTR | Naming authority pointer | Rewrites names into URIs — used in telephony. | 100 10 "U" "E2U+sip" "!^.*$!sip:info@example.com!" . |
| HTTPS / SVCB | Service binding | Advertises how to connect, including HTTP/3 support. | 1 . alpn="h3,h2" |
DNS changes are not instant — the record's TTL controls how long resolvers keep the old answer.