DNS Records
DNS records explained, the settings that point your domain at your site
What are DNS records and how do they work?
DNS is the system that turns your domain name into the server address browsers actually connect to. You control it through records: an A record points your domain at an IP address, a CNAME aliases one name to another, MX records route your email, and TXT records hold verification and policy data. Name servers decide which provider holds these records for your domain.
The records you will actually use
DNS (the Domain Name System) is the internet's address book. When someone types your domain, DNS looks up which server to contact and returns its numeric IP address. You shape that lookup with a handful of record types. The A record maps your domain to an IPv4 address (an AAAA record does the same for IPv6). A CNAME record points one hostname at another name rather than an IP, which is how subdomains like www are usually aliased to the main domain.
MX (mail exchange) records tell the world which mail servers handle email for your domain, so they are what you edit when you set up email or move to a new provider. TXT records store text, and they have become essential for verifying domain ownership with services like Google and Facebook, and for email authentication records such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC that help your mail reach inboxes. NS (name server) records declare which DNS provider is authoritative for your domain.
Name servers and why changes take time
Your domain's name servers decide where its DNS records live. By default that is usually your registrar, but you can point the name servers at your host or a dedicated DNS provider, after which you manage records in that provider's control panel. Changing name servers is how you connect a domain bought at one company to hosting at another; it is the single most common setup step for a new site.
DNS changes are not instant. Each record carries a TTL (time to live) that tells other servers how long to cache it, so an update can take anywhere from minutes to a day or two to be seen everywhere as old cached copies expire. This is called propagation. If you change a record and the old value lingers, you are almost always just waiting on propagation, not looking at a mistake. Lowering a record's TTL before a planned change makes future updates take effect faster.
What to check
What to look for
- A record points to an IP. The A record maps your domain to your server's IPv4 address; AAAA does the same for IPv6.
- CNAME aliases a name. A CNAME points one hostname at another, the usual way to send www to your main domain.
- MX records route email. Edit MX records to set up or move your domain's email to a new mail provider.
- TXT records verify and authenticate. TXT holds ownership verification and SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records that help email reach inboxes.
- Expect propagation delay. DNS changes cache by TTL and can take minutes to a couple of days to apply everywhere.
Act on this
Tools to act on this guide
Each slot below is reserved for a host, registrar, or tool we would use ourselves. We are adding them as we vet them; nothing here is a paid placement.
Where readers edit A, CNAME, MX, and TXT records.
Verify current records and propagation.
Connecting a domain to hosting elsewhere.
Questions