DNS Record Types

Complete guide to all DNS record types. Learn what each record does, see examples, and look them up instantly.

Basic DNS Records

9 record types

A Record Common

Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address (e.g., 93.184.216.34)

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AAAA Record Common

Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address (e.g., 2606:2800:220:1::)

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MX Record Common

Specifies mail servers responsible for receiving email for a domain

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TXT Record Common

Stores text data — used for SPF, DKIM, domain verification, and more

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CNAME Record Common

Creates an alias from one domain name to another (canonical name)

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NS Record Common

Specifies authoritative nameservers for a domain or subdomain

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SOA Record

Start of Authority — contains zone administration information

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CAA Record Security

Certificate Authority Authorization — controls which CAs can issue SSL certs

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DNAME Record

Delegation Name — redirects an entire subtree of the domain name tree

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DNSSEC Records

9 record types

DNSKEY Record DNSSEC

Contains the public signing key used to verify DNSSEC signatures

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DS Record DNSSEC

Delegation Signer — establishes chain of trust between parent and child zones

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RRSIG Record DNSSEC

Resource Record Signature — cryptographic signature for DNS record sets

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NSEC Record DNSSEC

Next Secure — provides authenticated denial of existence

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NSEC3 Record DNSSEC

Next Secure v3 — hashed denial of existence (prevents zone enumeration)

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NSEC3PARAM Record DNSSEC

NSEC3 Parameters — defines hash algorithm and iterations for NSEC3

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CDS Record DNSSEC

Child DS — used for automated DNSSEC delegation updates

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CDNSKEY Record DNSSEC

Child DNSKEY — used for automated DNSSEC key rollovers

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ZONEMD Record DNSSEC

Zone Message Digest — cryptographic hash of the entire DNS zone

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Service Discovery Records

5 record types

SRV Record Service

Service — specifies location of services (host, port, priority, weight)

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HTTPS Record Service

HTTPS Service Binding — optimizes HTTPS connections with parameters

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SVCB Record Service

Service Binding — general-purpose service endpoint discovery

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URI Record Service

Uniform Resource Identifier — maps hostnames to URIs

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NAPTR Record Service

Naming Authority Pointer — enables dynamic URI rewriting rules

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Security & Encryption Records

6 record types

PTR Record Common

Pointer — reverse DNS lookup, maps IP addresses back to hostnames

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TLSA Record Security

TLS Authentication — binds TLS certificates to DNS names (DANE)

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SSHFP Record Security

SSH Fingerprint — publishes SSH host key fingerprints in DNS

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IPSECKEY Record Security

IPsec Key — stores public keys for IPsec authentication

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OPENPGPKEY Record Security

OpenPGP Public Key — publishes PGP keys for email encryption

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SMIMEA Record Security

S/MIME Certificate Association — binds S/MIME certs to email addresses

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Location & Other Records

4 record types

LOC Record Other

Location — stores geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude)

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APL Record Other

Address Prefix List — specifies lists of address ranges

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HIP Record Other

Host Identity Protocol — separates host identity from location

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CSYNC Record Other

Child Synchronization — signals parent zone to update child records

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Understanding DNS Record Types

DNS (Domain Name System) uses different record types to store various kinds of information. When you type a domain name in your browser, DNS resolvers query these records to find the right server to connect to. Each record type serves a specific purpose:

  • Address Records (A/AAAA) — Map domain names to IP addresses
  • Mail Records (MX) — Direct email to the right mail servers
  • Text Records (TXT) — Store arbitrary text, including SPF, DKIM, and verification tokens
  • Alias Records (CNAME) — Create aliases pointing to other domains
  • Security Records (DNSSEC, CAA, TLSA) — Cryptographically secure DNS and control certificates

Click on any record type above to learn more about its purpose, syntax, examples, and best practices. Each guide includes a direct link to our DNS Record Finder tool to look up that specific record type.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are DNS record types?

DNS record types are different categories of data stored in the Domain Name System. Each type serves a specific purpose: A records map domains to IPv4 addresses, MX records specify mail servers, TXT records store text data like SPF and DKIM, CNAME records create aliases, and many more. There are over 30 different DNS record types defined in various RFCs.

What are the most common DNS record types?

The most common DNS record types are: A (IPv4 address), AAAA (IPv6 address), MX (mail server), TXT (text data including SPF/DKIM/DMARC), CNAME (alias), NS (nameserver), and SOA (zone authority). These records handle the majority of DNS queries for websites and email.

What DNS records are needed for email?

For email, you need: MX records (to specify mail servers), SPF records (stored in TXT, to authorize sending servers), DKIM records (stored in TXT, for email signatures), and DMARC records (stored in TXT, for authentication policy). These records work together to ensure email deliverability and prevent spoofing.

What are DNSSEC records?

DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) records add cryptographic security to DNS. Key types include: DNSKEY (public signing keys), DS (delegation signer for chain of trust), RRSIG (cryptographic signatures), NSEC/NSEC3 (authenticated denial of existence), and CDS/CDNSKEY (for automated key management). DNSSEC prevents DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks.

How do I look up a specific DNS record type?

Use DNSai's DNS Record Finder tool. Enter your domain, select the specific record type from the dropdown (A, MX, TXT, DKIM, etc.), choose your DNS server, and click Lookup. You can also select "All Record Types" to query everything at once.