DNS records
Also known as: DNS record, DNS entries
DNS records are the individual settings stored for a domain name in the Domain Name System.
They tell the internet where to send visitors and email: A and AAAA records point to a website's IP address, CNAME records point one name to another, MX records direct email, and TXT records hold verification and email security settings such as SPF and DMARC. They're managed through a domain registrar or DNS provider. While editing DNS records looks simple, one wrong change can take a website or email offline.
DNS records, explained at three levels
At home
DNS records are like the directory in an office building lobby. Each line tells visitors where to go: the dentist is on floor 4, deliveries go to the back door. A domain's DNS records do the same for the internet, with one entry pointing visitors to the website's server, another telling email where to be delivered, and others proving who owns the domain.
At work
DNS records are the settings attached to a company's domain name that tell the internet where to send traffic. An A record points the website address to a server, an MX record directs incoming email, and TXT records hold verification and email security settings. Businesses care because a wrong or missing record can take the website offline or send emails to spam.
At home
DNS is the internet's directory, and DNS records are the individual entries for your domain. Each record has a type that says what it is for. An A record points a name to an IPv4 address, so example.com finds the right web server. An MX record says where email for the domain should go. When someone visits your website or emails you, their system asks DNS for the matching record and follows its answer.
At work
Common record types include A and AAAA for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, CNAME for aliases to another name, MX for mail servers, TXT for verification and email authentication such as SPF and DMARC, NS for the servers authoritative for the domain, and CAA for which certificate authorities may issue certificates. Each record has a TTL, time to live, telling resolvers how long to cache it, which controls how quickly changes spread.
At home
DNS settings look simple but are easy to break. Deleting the wrong record can stop email, break your website or knock out a service you forgot depended on it, and because of caching, the problem may not show up right away. Registrar dashboards rarely offer an undo button. In my view, taking a screenshot of your DNS settings before changing anything is the fastest way to undo a mistake.
At work
Protect registrar and DNS hosting accounts with MFA and, for critical domains, registry lock, since hijacked DNS redirects email and websites. Document every record and its owner. Remove dangling records that point to deleted cloud resources, which attackers can claim for subdomain takeover. Enable DNSSEC where supported, monitor for unauthorized changes, and keep TTLs low before planned migrations and higher during steady operation.
Real-world examples
At home
Thomas bought a domain for his photography portfolio. He added a CNAME record pointing to his website builder, and his site was live within an hour.
At work
Aisha's Vancouver MSP found a client's old CNAME record pointing to a deleted cloud service. Attackers could have hijacked the subdomain, so she removed it.
How it compares
| feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| A / AAAA | Point a name to an IP address |
| CNAME | Point a name to another name |
| MX | Direct email to mail servers |
| TXT | Verification, SPF, DKIM, DMARC |
Each DNS record type does one job in pointing traffic and email correctly.
For analysts
I'd keep a simple DNS inventory listing each record, its purpose, and owner. During website or email changes, it prevents accidental outages.
History & origin
Paul Mockapetris designed the Domain Name System in 1983, replacing a single shared hosts file that listed every computer on the early internet. The original standards defined core record types including A, MX (added in 1986), CNAME, and TXT. AAAA records for IPv6 were defined in the 1990s. TXT records later took on new jobs, including SPF email authentication in the 2000s and DMARC in 2012. In February 2024, Google and Yahoo began requiring bulk email senders to publish authentication records, and Microsoft followed for Outlook.com in 2025, making correct DNS settings essential for email delivery. In my view, DNS records are the address book of a business's online presence.