DNS Record Type Explainer
Look up what each DNS record type (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS) does, with a typical example.
How this tool works
Choose a record type
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, or NS.
Read the plain-language explanation
What that record type does and when it's used, without jargon-heavy RFC language.
See a realistic example
A correctly formatted sample record showing the type in context.
Check the typical TTL behavior
How long that record type is usually cached, and why.
Quick facts
- Category
- Text Tools
- Best for
- Understanding a DNS configuration before setting up email authentication or a subdomain
Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. This is the most common DNS record type - when a browser resolves example.com, it's almost always looking up an A record to find the IPv4 address to connect to.
About this tool
Select a DNS record type - A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, or NS - and see a plain-language explanation of what it does, along with a realistically formatted example of that record in the wild and a note on typical TTL (time-to-live, or caching duration) behavior for that type. To be upfront about scope: this is a reference and educational tool, not a live DNS lookup - actually querying a domain's real DNS records requires sending a request to a DNS resolver, which needs a server or a third-party API and can't be done entirely within the browser the way the rest of this site's tools work, so this tool intentionally doesn't claim to do something it can't. What it does instead is explain the record types themselves: what an MX record's priority number means, why a CNAME can't coexist with other records on the same name, or what SPF/DKIM/DMARC TXT records are actually for. Useful for understanding DNS configuration you're looking at elsewhere, learning what record type you need before setting up email authentication or a subdomain, or refreshing your memory on a record type you don't touch often. Runs entirely client-side with no network requests.
Why use this tool
Honest about scope
Clearly a reference/explainer tool, not a live DNS lookup - no false claim of doing something a browser-only tool can't.
Plain-language explanations
Explains what each record type actually does, not just its RFC-style technical definition.
Realistic examples
Each record type shows a correctly formatted sample, not just an abstract description.
Covers the 6 most commonly encountered types
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and NS cover the vast majority of everyday DNS configuration.
Frequently asked questions
A real DNS lookup requires sending a query to a DNS resolver over the network, which needs either a server-side component or a third-party API - something a static, fully client-side browser tool genuinely cannot do on its own. Rather than fake this or silently fail, this tool is built and labeled honestly as a record-type reference and explainer instead, which is something it can actually deliver reliably.
An A record points a domain name directly at an IPv4 address. A CNAME instead points one domain name at another domain name, which then gets resolved in turn - so www.example.com might CNAME to example.com, which then resolves via its own A record. This indirection is useful when the target's IP address might change, since only the target's A record needs updating, not every CNAME pointing at it.
Lower numbers indicate higher priority - mail servers are tried in ascending order of their priority value, so an MX record with priority 10 is tried before one with priority 20. This lets a domain configure a primary mail server plus one or more fallback servers that only receive mail if the higher-priority server is unreachable.
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