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DNS Explained: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX and TXT Records

Most day-to-day DNS work comes down to a small set of record types with very different purposes.

A records

An A record maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. It is commonly used for a website hostname that should connect directly to a server or public service address.

AAAA records

An AAAA record serves the same basic purpose for IPv6. If both A and AAAA records exist, clients can choose an address family according to their network capabilities and resolver behaviour.

CNAME records

A CNAME makes one hostname an alias of another hostname. This is useful when the target service controls its own address changes. A CNAME points to a name, not directly to an IP address.

MX records

MX records tell senders which mail servers accept email for a domain. They include priorities and should point to hostnames that resolve correctly. Website DNS and mail DNS are related but separate, so changing one should not accidentally break the other.

TXT records

TXT records carry text data used for many verification and policy mechanisms. Common examples include SPF information, domain ownership checks and service-specific verification tokens.

Treat DNS changes as production changes

Record the previous value, understand the TTL and verify the new authoritative answer after a change. CloudBalkan Cloud DNS keeps these records next to the domains and infrastructure they support.

Related CloudBalkan service

Cloud DNS

Authoritative DNS zones and records for websites, mail and cloud applications.

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