Free tool · Reference
DNS Record Types
What every DNS record type is for, at a glance.
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| A | Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address |
| AAAA | Maps a hostname to an IPv6 address |
| CNAME | Alias from one name to another (canonical name) |
| MX | Mail servers and priority for a domain |
| TXT | Free-form text: SPF, DKIM, domain verification |
| NS | Delegates a zone to its authoritative name servers |
| SOA | Start of authority: serial, refresh and TTL values |
| PTR | Reverse DNS: an IP address back to a hostname |
| SRV | Location (host and port) of a service |
| CAA | Which CAs may issue certificates for the domain |
| DKIM | Public key for email signing (published as TXT) |
| DMARC | Email authentication policy (TXT at _dmarc) |
| SPF | Legacy sender policy (now carried in a TXT record) |
| NAPTR | Naming Authority Pointer, used in ENUM and SIP |
| DNSKEY | Public key used by DNSSEC |
| DS | Delegation Signer: links DNSSEC to the parent zone |
| RRSIG | A DNSSEC signature over a record set |
| TLSA | DANE: binds a certificate to a name |
| ANY | Query for all record types (often restricted) |
The record types you meet most as a network or systems engineer. SPF, DKIM and DMARC are all published as TXT records; PTR lives in the reverse (in-addr.arpa) zone.
About this tool
Free DNS record types reference. A searchable table of every common DNS record (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, PTR, SRV, CAA, DKIM, DMARC, DNSKEY, DS and more) with a plain-English description of what each one does. Everything runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent to a server.
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