DNS Record Types
Common DNS resource record types — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and friends.
Reference
Common records
| Type | Purpose | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| A | IPv4 address | 192.0.2.1 |
| AAAA | IPv6 address | 2001:db8::1 |
| CNAME | Alias to another name | cdn.example.net. |
| MX | Mail server | 10 mail.example.com. |
| TXT | Free-form text (SPF, DKIM, verification) | "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all" |
| NS | Authoritative name server | ns1.example.com. |
| SOA | Start of authority (zone metadata) | ns1 admin 2026041901 … |
| PTR | Reverse DNS (IP → name) | host.example.com. |
| SRV | Service location (port + target) | 10 5 5060 sip.example.com. |
| CAA | Cert-authority authorization | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
| DNSKEY | DNSSEC public key | 256 3 8 AwEAA… |
| DS | DNSSEC delegation signer | 12345 8 2 ABCDEF… |
| TLSA | TLS certificate association (DANE) | 3 1 1 5a3b… |
| SVCB / HTTPS | Service binding (HTTP/3, ECH hints) | 1 . alpn=h3 |
Notes
- CNAME cannot coexist with other records at the same name (including MX).
- TXT is widely misused — prefer purpose-specific types when one exists.
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