DNS Record Types Explained: A Friendly Guide for Web Developers

Ever typed a website address and wondered how your browser magically knows where to go? I spent way too long figuring this out when I first started, so here’s everything I wish someone had told me about DNS records.

How Does a Browser Know Where a Website Lives?

Think about this for a second. You type google.com into your browser, hit enter, and boom – you’re looking at Google’s homepage. But here’s the thing: computers don’t actually understand “google.com”. They speak in numbers – IP addresses like 142.250.195.206.

So how does your browser figure out which numbers to call?

That’s where DNS comes in.

What is DNS? (The Internet’s Phonebook)

DNS stands for Domain Name System, and honestly, the best way to explain it is this: it’s like your phone’s contact list.

When you want to call your friend, you don’t memorize their phone number. You just tap their name, and your phone looks up the number for you. DNS works exactly the same way.

You type a name (like example.com), and DNS looks up the “phone number” (the IP address) so your browser can make the connection.

Without DNS, we’d all be memorizing strings of numbers just to visit websites. Imagine telling someone, “Check out my website at 192.168.45.112!” Not exactly catchy, right?

Why Do We Need Different DNS Records?

Here’s where it gets interesting. A domain name isn’t just about one thing. Think about your house for a moment:

Similarly, a domain needs to do multiple jobs:

• Point visitors to the right web server
• Route emails to the correct mail server
• Verify ownership for various services
• Handle subdomains and aliases

That’s why we have different types of DNS records, each handling a specific job. Let’s go through them one by one.

1. NS Record: Who’s Responsible for This Domain?

Let’s start at the top. When someone looks up your domain, the first question is: “Who’s responsible for answering questions about this domain?”

That’s what NS (Name Server) records answer.

The Reception Desk Analogy

Picture a big office building. When you walk in, there’s a reception desk. You tell the receptionist you’re looking for “Example Company,” and they point you to the right floor.

NS records work the same way. They say: “Hey, if you want to know anything about example.com, talk to these name servers:“

example.com.    NS    ns1.cloudprovider.com.
example.com.    NS    ns2.cloudprovider.com.

Why Multiple NS Records?

You’ll almost always see at least two NS records. Why? Redundancy. If one name server goes down, the other keeps your domain alive. It’s like having a backup receptionist.

2. A Record: Domain → IPv4 Address (Your Home Address)

Now we’re getting to the core stuff. The A record is probably the most common DNS record you’ll encounter.

A stands for Address, and its job is dead simple: map a domain name to an IPv4 address.

It’s Just a Street Address

When someone asks, “Where does example.com live?” the A record answers with an IP address:

example.com.    A    93.184.216.34

That’s it. Domain name → IP address. Simple.

Real-World Example

Let’s say you’re building a website and hosting it on a server with IP 167.99.45.123. Your A record would be:

myawesomesite.com.    A    167.99.45.123

When someone types myawesomesite.com in their browser, DNS looks up this A record, finds the IP, and connects them to your server.

3. AAAA Record: Domain → IPv6 Address (The New Address System)

Remember when I said A records map to IPv4 addresses? Well, we’ve got a problem: IPv4 addresses are running out.

Enter IPv6 – longer addresses that can handle way more devices. And AAAA records (pronounced “quad-A”) map domain names to these IPv6 addresses.

What IPv6 Looks Like

IPv6 addresses look quite different:

example.com.    AAAA    2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

Yeah, they’re longer and use hexadecimal (letters and numbers). But they solve the address shortage problem.

Do You Need AAAA Records?

If your server supports IPv6, absolutely add them. Many modern networks use IPv6, and having both ensures everyone can reach you:

example.com.    A       93.184.216.34
example.com.    AAAA    2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334

4. CNAME Record: One Name Pointing to Another Name

Okay, this one trips people up, so let me explain it carefully.

CNAME stands for Canonical Name, but I prefer to call it the “nickname record.”

The Nickname Analogy

You know how some people go by different names? My friend Alexander goes by “Alex” at work and “Xander” with friends. But they all refer to the same person.

CNAME records work the same way. One domain name points to another domain name (not an IP address!).

Common Use Case: www Subdomain

Here’s the classic example:

www.example.com.    CNAME    example.com.

This says: “Hey, www.example.com is just an alias for example.com.”

A Record vs CNAME: When to Use Which?

Example:

example.com.         A        1.2.3.4
www.example.com.     CNAME    example.com.
blog.example.com.    CNAME    example.com.

Change the IP once, and all aliases automatically follow!

5. MX Record: How Emails Find Your Mail Server

Time to talk about email. When someone sends an email to hello@example.com, how does that email know where to go?

MX stands for Mail Exchange, and these records tell email servers where to deliver mail for your domain.

The Post Office Analogy

Think of MX records as instructions for the postal service. When a letter arrives addressed to your house, the post office knows which mailbox to drop it in.

Similarly, when an email arrives for @example.com, MX records tell the sending server which mail server should receive it:

example.com.    MX    10    mail.example.com.
example.com.    MX    20    backup-mail.example.com.

What’s That Number? Priority!

See those numbers (10 and 20)? That’s the priority. Lower number = higher priority.

Email servers try mail.example.com first (priority 10). If it’s down, they try backup-mail.example.com (priority 20).

Common Confusion: NS vs MX

• NS records = “Who knows about this domain?” (DNS authority)
• MX records = “Where should email for this domain go?” (Email routing)

Completely different jobs!

6. TXT Record: Extra Information and Verification

Alright, on to TXT records – probably the most flexible record type.

TXT stands for Text, and these records let you attach arbitrary text information to your domain.

What Are TXT Records Used For?

1. Domain Verification

When you add your domain to Google Search Console, Google asks you to add a TXT record:

example.com.    TXT    "google-site-verification=abc123def456"

This proves you own the domain because only the owner can modify DNS records.

2. Email Security (SPF)

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) prevents email spoofing:

example.com.    TXT    "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"

This says: “Only Google’s mail servers should send email from my domain.”

3. DKIM and DMARC

More email security that uses TXT records to prevent phishing and spam.

Putting It All Together: A Complete DNS Setup

Let’s see how all these records work together for a real website:

Example: Complete DNS for example.com

; Name Servers - Who manages this domain
example.com.         NS      ns1.cloudprovider.com.
example.com.         NS      ns2.cloudprovider.com.

; A and AAAA Records - Where the website lives
example.com.         A       192.0.2.1
example.com.         AAAA    2001:db8::1

; CNAME - Subdomain aliases
www.example.com.     CNAME   example.com.
blog.example.com.    CNAME   example.com.

; MX Records - Email routing
example.com.         MX      10    mail.example.com.
example.com.         MX      20    backup.example.com.

; TXT Records - Verification and security
example.com.         TXT     "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"
example.com.         TXT     "google-site-verification=xyz123"

How They Work Together

Scenario 1: Someone types www.example.com

1. DNS checks NS records → finds the name servers
2. Queries for www.example.com
3. Finds a CNAME pointing to example.com
4. Looks up A record → gets 192.0.2.1
5. Browser connects to that IP

Scenario 2: Someone sends email to hello@example.com

1. Email server queries MX records
2. Finds mail.example.com with priority 10
3. Delivers email there

Scenario 3: You verify domain with Google

1. Add the TXT record Google provides
2. Google queries your TXT records
3. Finds verification string → Domain verified!

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Common Beginner Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

❌ Using CNAME for Root Domain

You can’t set a CNAME for example.com if you also have MX or TXT records. Use an A record for root domains.

❌ Confusing A and CNAME

• A record → Points to an IP address
• CNAME → Points to another domain name

❌ Confusing NS and MX

• NS = Who manages DNS (reception desk)
• MX = Where email goes (mailbox)

❌ Not Having Backup MX Records

Always have at least two MX records with different priorities. Email is important – give it redundancy.

Wrapping Up

DNS might seem like magic at first, but it’s really just a clever system of records, each doing a specific job:

• NS → “Who’s in charge here?”
• A/AAAA → “What’s the address?”
• CNAME → “What’s another name for this?”
• MX → “Where should mail go?”
• TXT → “Here’s some extra info”

Next time you’re setting up a domain, you’ll know exactly what each record does and why it matters. DNS issues happen to all of us, but now you know where to look!