Understanding DNS Records: A Practical Beginner's Guide
DNS records control where your domain's traffic goes — for email, your website, security verification, and more. Misunderstanding them causes downtime and deliverability problems.
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A and AAAA Records: Pointing to Your Server
An A record maps your domain to an IPv4 address — this is how browsers find your website. An AAAA record does the same for IPv6 addresses. Set these to point to your web hosting server or load balancer IP address.
CNAME Records: Aliases for Subdomains
A CNAME record creates an alias from one domain to another — for example, pointing www.yourdomain.com to yourdomain.com. You cannot use a CNAME on a root domain — use an A record there instead.
MX Records: Routing Your Email
MX (Mail Exchanger) records tell the internet which servers handle email for your domain. If you switch to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you must update your MX records — failure to do so is the most common cause of business email delivery failure after migrations.
TXT Records: Verification and Security
TXT records carry text data used for domain ownership verification, SPF records (authorising which servers can send email on your behalf), DMARC policies, and DKIM signatures. Correct TXT records are essential for email deliverability.
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