Understanding DNS records: A, CNAME, MX and TXT

DNS is the system that translates a domain name into the technical details needed to deliver your website and email. You do not need to understand it to run a website, but these four record types are the ones you will encounter.

A record

Points a hostname at an IP address. The most important A record is the one for your root domain, which tells the internet which server holds your website.

CNAME record

Points a hostname at another hostname rather than an IP address. A common example is www pointing at your root domain, so both versions of your address load the same site.

MX record

Tells the internet where to deliver email for your domain. If you use our email hosting, your MX records point at our mail servers. If your email is handled by another provider, they will give you the values to use. Changing MX records moves your email, and it affects all addresses on the domain, so change them only when you intend to move the whole mailbox.

TXT record

Holds text information about your domain. It is most often used for verification and security. Two common examples are SPF and DKIM records, which help receiving mail servers confirm that email claiming to be from your domain genuinely is, and domain verification records requested by services such as Google or Microsoft.

A word of caution

DNS records are easy to change and easy to break. If you are unsure, contact us before making a change rather than guessing, and note that any change can take a few hours to take effect. Keeping a copy of your current records before you edit them is a good habit, as it makes any problem straightforward to reverse.