DNS Record Types

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Browse every common DNS record type (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, PTR, SRV, CAA, DNSKEY, DS, TLSA and more) with its purpose, a copyable zone-file example and a category. Search and filter instantly, in your browser, free.

Every common DNS resource-record type, explained with a real zone-file example. Everything runs in your browser from a built-in reference, nothing is sent to the server.

No record type matches your search.
Try a different type or keyword: for example AAAA, DNSSEC or mail.

About DNS Record Types

This DNS record types reference covers every record you are likely to meet in a zone file: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, PTR, SRV and CAA, the DNSSEC family (DNSKEY, DS, TLSA, SSHFP), the mail-authentication trio (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), plus ALIAS/ANAME, NAPTR, HINFO, LOC and the newer SVCB and HTTPS records.

Each entry shows the record type in monospace, its full name, a plain-English explanation of what it does, and a copyable zone-file example in real syntax, for instance example.com. IN MX 10 mail.example.com., so you can adapt working lines instead of reconstructing the format from memory.

Category badges group the records by job: Address, Mail, Naming/Alias, Text/Verification, Infrastructure, Security/DNSSEC and Service. Search matches the type, the name and the purpose alike, so both MX and mail exchanger reach the same entry.

How to use DNS Record Types

  1. Search for a record by type, name or purpose, for example MX, mail exchanger or DNSSEC.
  2. Filter by category to browse address, mail, naming, verification, infrastructure, security or service records.
  3. Read the plain-English purpose and the real zone-file example for each type.
  4. Copy the record type or the full example line to adapt in your own DNS zone.

Frequently asked questions

An A record maps a name to an IPv4 address and an AAAA record to an IPv6 address. A CNAME instead aliases one name to another name, delegating resolution: the target’s own A/AAAA records supply the final address.

The DNS specification forbids a CNAME from coexisting with other records, and a zone apex must carry SOA and NS records. That is why providers invented ALIAS/ANAME records: apex-safe aliases resolved to addresses by the DNS provider itself.

Mostly verification and email authentication: SPF policies listing permitted senders, DKIM public keys, DMARC policies, and one-off ownership proofs that search consoles and SaaS platforms ask you to publish. A domain can hold many TXT records simultaneously.

It whitelists which certificate authorities may issue TLS certificates for your domain. Certificate authorities are required to check CAA before issuing, so publishing one shrinks the risk of mis-issued certificates.

Yes: each example uses standard zone-file syntax with fully qualified names ending in a dot. Replace the sample domain and values with your own, and mind your provider’s interface, which may split the fields into separate form inputs.

Yes. The whole directory is free and built into the page: searching and filtering happen in your browser and nothing is sent to a server.
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