DNS Records Types: A, CNAME, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, PTR, SRV, SOA
DNS Records Types: A, CNAME, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, PTR, SRV, SOA. If you want your web browser to display a website firstly it needs to translate the domain name into IP address. This is where the DNS (domain name system) comes into play.
If you enter a website name into a browser it tracks down your website’s nameserver (NS) record. This then translates your IP address (numbers) into a word address—example.com. Once that process is done, a user can see your website. If anyone is looking for your website on the Internet, they will need your NS record that verifies that this is your actual website. This process is hidden and web user does not know that they have started the process of DNS server.
What is DNS Server
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical Internet Protocol (IP) addressing system designed to increase the efficiency of Internet service delivery by mapping human friendly names to IP addresses. It can be considered as a phone book where numbers are assigned to certain names.
A DNS is a dedicated server to answer any Domain Name System (DNS) queries. It is the IP address for every site on the internet. People using the internet need DNS server to communicate with origin or CDN edge servers to access the original website (or cached versions of that site).
The Domain Name System records hold critical information on how a domain name is associated with an IP address, point of contact information, and other vital details that help administrators locate and maintain these details more efficiently. They also have a huge role in bolstering the security of servers, networks and websites.
When you type a website address into your browsers address bar and press Enter, a DNS server goes to work to find the address that you want to visit. It does this by sending a DNS query to several servers, each of which translates a different part of the domain name you entered. DNS system consists of two parts: a server and a resolver. How does the DNS uses queries the website?
DNS Queries
- A DNS Resolver which receives the request to resolve the domain name with the IP address.
- A Root Server-which receives the first request and returns a result to let the DNS resolver.
- A TLD Server-the DNS resolver queries TLD server, which then returns the Authoritative Name Server.
- An Authoritative Name Server-the DNS resolver queries this server to know the factual IP address of the website you’re trying to enter.
That process is finished once the IP address is returned and the website you wanted to visit is then displayed in your web browser.
Let’s start reading about DNS Records Types: A, CNAME, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, PTR, SRV, SOA.
DNS Records Types Explained
A Record
An A record is the most basic type of DNS record which is used to point or map a domain or subdomain to an IP address using the IPv4 protocol. The A record is used to point a domain to a specific website or server or for email routing.
An A record must always point to an IP address and cannot be used to point to another DNS record.
For example, the A record for the domain name www.example.com could point to the IP address 1.2.3.4.
A records can also be used for email routing. For example, the MX record for a domain could point to an A record which points to the IP address of the mail server for that domain.
AAAA Record
An AAAA record is a DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv6 address. IPv6 is the most recent Internet Protocol version, and it has several advantages over its predecessor, IPv4.
One of the main advantages of IPv6 is that it offers a much larger address space than IPv4. It means that more IP addresses are available with IPv6, which is especially important as the number of devices connected to the Internet continues to grow.
There are a few places you can set your AAAA record. When you have your own DNS server, you can add the record directly to the DNS zone file.
Many domain providers also allow you to set AAAA records for your domain. You can check with your server service provider to see if this is an option.
Alternatively, you can use a third party DNS service such as Amazon Route 53 or Cloudflare.
Next of the DNS Records Types: A, CNAME, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, PTR, SRV, SOA is CNAME Record.
CNAME Record
A CNAME record stands for “canonical name.” This type of record is used to point one domain name to another. For example, if you have a website at www.example.com and want people to access it via the shorter domain name example.com, you would set up a CNAME record for example.com that points to www.example.com.
CNAME records are often used when companies want to brand themselves with a shorter domain name or when they want to provide multiple ways for people to reach their website (e.g., www, mobile, etc.).
To set up a CNAME record, you should log into your DNS management panel and add a new record.
The process is different for every DNS provider, but the basics are the same: You will be required to specify the domain name you want to create the record for and then specify the destination.
TXT Records
A TXT DNS record is a type of DNS record used to store text based data. This data can be used for various purposes, including verifying ownership of a domain or providing additional information about the domain.
Add TXT Dns record
When trying to add a TXT DNS record to your website, there are a few things you’ll need to do:
- First, you’ll need to create a DNS record for your domain. You can do this through your DNS provider.
2. After making a DNS record for your domain, you need to add a TXT record to it, and you can do it through your DNS provider’s control panel.
3. When adding a TXT DNS record, you’ll need to specify the hostname, the TTL, and the value.
- The hostname is the domain name to which you’re adding the TXT record.
- The TTL is the time to live for the record, which specifies how long DNS servers should cache the record.
- The value is the text string you want to associate with the hostname.
Once you’ve added the TXT DNS record, it may take up to 48 hours for the changes to propagate across the internet. After that, your website will be accessible via the new hostname.
You must also consider using TXT DNS records when looking to add a little extra security to your website. They can also be used to verify that your domain is registered to you and to prevent spam.
MX Record
One of the most important DNS records is the MX record. This record specifies the mail server responsible for handling email for a domain. Without an MX record, emails to your domain will not be delivered.
One of the most popular uses for MX Record DNS is email routing. Another common use for MX Record DNS is setting up a mail server failover.
MX Record DNS is also used when setting up spam filters and blocking certain types of email.
When setting up an MX record, you should specify a priority for each mail server. The lower the number, the higher the priority. If one mail server is unavailable, emails will be delivered to the next highest priority mail server.
When setting up an email account, you should specify an MX record for the domain to receive email.
Hostname, Priority
An MX record has two parts: a hostname and a priority.
- The hostname is the server’s address that will handle mail for the domain.
- The priority is used to determine which server should be used if multiple servers are listed in the MX record.
NS Record
The NS record is one of the most important DNS records and is used to specify the name servers for a given domain. The name servers are responsible for storing the DNS records for a domain and providing information about those records to clients.
When setting up a new DNS server, you must create an NS record for your domain. This record will specify the name of your DNS server and its IP address. You can also specify multiple name servers in an NS record, which can be helpful for load balancing or redundancy.
After making the NS record, add it to the zone file for your domain on your DNS server, and it ensures that clients can find and query your DNS server when they need to resolve records for your domain.
PTR Record
PTR Record stands for Pointer Record and is a DNS record used to resolve an IP address to a hostname. In most cases, the PTR record maps an IP address to a fully qualified domain name (FQDN). This is useful for many reasons, such as email delivery, website access, or simply identifying the hostname of a machine.
PTR records are typically set up by your ISP or hosting provider. You can also set up your own PTR records if you have a static IP address and domain name. You need to add a PTR record to your DNS zone file to do this. The process will vary depending on your DNS server.
After setting the PTR record up, anyone who looks up the IP address can see the associated hostname, which can help people easily identify your machine when looking at network traffic logs, for example.
SOA Record
A Start of Authority (SOA) record is a type of DNS record that indicates the authoritative name server for a given domain and is always included in a zone. The SOA record also specifies other important information about the domain, such as the email address of the domain administrator, the domain’s serial number, and the refresh intervals.
You need an SOA to delegate a DNS zone to another server, such as when you want to create a secondary DNS server.
The SOA record contains information about the zone, such as who is responsible for it and how often it should be refreshed.
Last DNS Records Types: A, CNAME, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, PTR, SRV, SOA to learn is SRV Record.
SRV Record
The SRV DNS record is an important part of a website’s infrastructure, providing vital information about where a website’s resources are located. When you type in a service name, such as HTTP or FTP, into your browser, the SRV record is used to look up the IP address and port number on which the service is running.
They are often used to identify the location of a server for a specific service, such as a website or email server. SRV records are stored in a DNS zone file and must be assigned a name, protocol and port number.
Creating an SRV record requires two components: the name of the service being specified and the location of that service. Creating an SRV record varies depending on your DNS provider, but most providers will have a GUI interface that allows you to add records easily.
After creating the SRV record for your site, the record must be propagated throughout the internet within 24 hours. By understanding what SRV DNS records are and how they work, you can ensure that your website runs smoothly and efficiently.
Great job! Today we have learned more about DNS Records Types Explained: A, CNAME, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, PTR, SRV, SOA. Let’s conclude.
DNS Records Types Explained: A, CNAME, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, PTR, SRV, SOA Conclusion
DNS server allows you to communicate with your computer so you can visit different places on the web.
Although you may not always need to alter or update the DNS records, it is an integral part of your DNS and its overall performance. If you are a business owner or an engineer, it is important to ensure that these records work perfectly.
With your business’s dependency on the internet rising with competition raging, you do not want to compromise any area that may affect the performance and security of your website.
Hence, you must always keep track of these crucial DNS records. We hope that the blog helped you gain new insights about the DNS records.
Do you think that the DNS Records role is vital in helping your business? Do you have experiences to share? Please comment below.
