Records
| Type | Purpose | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Name to IPv4 address | 203.0.113.10 |
| AAAA | Name to IPv6 address | 2001:db8::10 |
| CNAME | Alias of another name (not allowed at the zone root) | example.com. |
| MX | Mail servers for the domain, with priority (lower is preferred) | 10 mail.example.com. |
| TXT | Text: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, site verification | "v=spf1 mx ~all" |
| NS | Nameservers responsible for the zone | ns1.example.net. |
| SOA | Zone details: primary server, serial number, timers | created by the DNS provider |
| SRV | Host and port of a service (VoIP, chat, Microsoft 365) | 10 5 5060 sip.example.com. |
| CAA | Which certificate authorities may issue SSL for the domain | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
| PTR | Reverse DNS: IP address back to a name (set by the IP owner) | mail.example.com. |
Names you will see
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
@ | The zone root, e.g. example.com itself |
www | www.example.com |
* | Wildcard: any name not defined elsewhere |
_dmarc | Where the DMARC policy lives |
selector._domainkey | Where a DKIM public key lives |
TTL values
| TTL | Typical use |
|---|---|
| 300 (5 minutes) | Before and during a planned change |
| 3600 (1 hour) | A common default |
| 86400 (1 day) | Records that rarely change, such as NS |
A trailing dot (example.com.) marks a full name. Some DNS panels add it for you; others treat a name without it as relative to your zone.