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DNS Record Types Cheat Sheet
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other DNS record types
| Type | Full Name | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Address | Maps hostname to IPv4 | example.com → 93.184.216.34 |
| AAAA | IPv6 Address | Maps hostname to IPv6 | example.com → 2606:2800:220:1:: |
| CNAME | Canonical Name | Alias to another domain | www → example.com |
| MX | Mail Exchange | Mail server for domain | mail.example.com (priority 10) |
| TXT | Text | Arbitrary text data | SPF, DKIM, site verification |
| NS | Name Server | Authoritative DNS servers | ns1.example.com |
| SOA | Start of Authority | Zone metadata | Primary NS, admin email, serial |
| PTR | Pointer | Reverse DNS lookup | 93.184.216.34 → example.com |
| SRV | Service | Service location | _sip._tcp.example.com |
| CAA | Cert Authority Auth | Allowed CAs for domain | letsencrypt.org |
| DNSKEY | DNS Key | DNSSEC public key | Zone signing key |
| DS | Delegation Signer | DNSSEC delegation | Hash of child DNSKEY |
| NAPTR | Naming Authority | Regex-based rewriting | ENUM, SIP routing |
| ALIAS | Alias (non-standard) | CNAME at zone apex | Root domain to CDN |
| SPF | Sender Policy (deprecated) | Email sender auth | Now stored as TXT |
| DKIM | DomainKeys (via TXT) | Email signing | selector._domainkey.example.com |
| DMARC | Domain Auth (via TXT) | Email policy | _dmarc.example.com |
📧 Email Records
- • MX = Mail server for domain
- • SPF (TXT) = Authorized mail senders
- • DKIM (TXT) = Email signature verification
- • DMARC (TXT) = Email policy
🎯 Most Common
- • A = Domain → IPv4
- • AAAA = Domain → IPv6
- • CNAME = Alias to another domain
- • NS = Authoritative nameservers