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Copy file name to clipboardExpand all lines: pages/domains-and-dns/reference-content/understanding-dns-records.mdx
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@@ -20,31 +20,27 @@ Information in DNS zones is categorized and organized through a list of [DNS rec
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Each of these records has a type, an expiration time (Time to Live - TTL) and a name. Certain types of records also have type-specific data.
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###A record
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## A record
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**A record** stands for **Address record**. It is mostly used to map domain names to the IPv4 address of a specific server. In other words, it allows to connect a domain name to the numerical IP address of a server where the website or online service is hosted.
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An A record ensures that when you type a website's name into your browser, your computer knows where to find that website on the internet.
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###AAAA record
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## AAAA record
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Just like an A record connects a domain to an IPv4 address, an **AAAA record** does the same thing for the newer IPv6 addresses. It allows devices to locate and communicate with websites and services using the IPv6 protocol.
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###ALIAS record
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## ALIAS record
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An ALIAS record works exactly like a [CNAME record](#cname-record)
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An ALIAS record could be useful if you want your domain name (not its subdomains) to point to a hostname.
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<Messagetype="important">
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You must end your domain with a **trailing dot** as this disables domain search, using only the complete domain name you have given.<br />
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<br />
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Not ending your domain name with a trailing dot results in your domain being tried with a domain name appended to it, or even a list of domain names until one [resolves](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution).<br />
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<br />
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For example, if you want `mydomain.com` to point to `mynewdomain.com`, you **must** write `mynewdomain.com.` in the **Hostname** field. Otherwise, the CNAME record will direct your users to `mynewdomain.com.mynewdomain.com`.<br />
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Ensure you add a [trailing dot](#formatting-note-trailing-dot) when creating an ALIAS record.
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</Message>
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###CAA record
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## CAA record
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**CAA record** stands for **Certification Authority Authorization record**. It allows domain owners to specify which certificate authorities (CAs) are authorized to issue [SSL/TLS certificates](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#ssltls-certificates) for their domain.
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***128 or Issuer critical**: This flag means that any unrecognized tags will halt the certificate issuance, assuming the issuer is compliant to standards.
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###CNAME record
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## CNAME record
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**CNAME record** stands for **Canonical name record**. It is used to point subdomains to a hostname. A CNAME record does not directly [resolve](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution) to an IP address. Instead, it refers to whether the domain is an [absolute](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#fully-qualified-domain-name-fqdn) or [relative](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#partially-qualified-domain-name-pqdn) domain.
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<Messagetype="important">
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You must end your domain with a **trailing dot** as this disables domain search, using only the complete domain name you have given.<br />
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<br />
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Not ending your domain name with a trailing dot results in your domain being tried with a domain name appended to it, or even a list of domain names until one [resolves](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution).<br />
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<br />
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For example, if you want `mydomain.com` to point to `mynewdomain.com`, you **must** write `mynewdomain.com.` in the **Hostname** field. Otherwise, the CNAME record will direct your users to `mynewdomain.com.mynewdomain.com`.<br />
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Ensure you add a [trailing dot](#formatting-note-trailing-dot) when creating a CNAME record.
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</Message>
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###DNAME record
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## DNAME record
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**DNAME record** stands for **Delegation name record**. It is used for domain name redirection and renaming. Unlike other DNS record types that map domain names to IP addresses, a DNAME record allows you to redirect an entire domain and all of its subdomains to a different domain name.
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You should configure a DNAME record if you want to rename or restructure a domain while ensuring that all of its subdomains are automatically redirected to the new domain.
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<Messagetype="important">
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You must end your domain with a **trailing dot** as this disables domain search, using only the complete domain name you have given.<br />
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<br />
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Not ending your domain name with a trailing dot results in your domain being tried with a domain name appended to it, or even a list of domain names until one [resolves](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution).<br />
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<br />
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For example, if you want `mydomain.com` to point to `mynewdomain.com`, you **must** write `mynewdomain.com.` in the **Hostname** field. Otherwise, the CNAME record will direct your users to `mynewdomain.com.mynewdomain.com`.<br />
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Ensure you add a [trailing dot](#formatting-note-trailing-dot) when creating a DNAME record.
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</Message>
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###MX record
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## MX record
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**MX record** stands for **Mail exchange record**. It is used to specify the mail servers responsible for receiving and handling emails for a specific domain. For example, when sending an email to an address within your domain `[email protected]`, your email server needs to determine where to deliver the emails. Your MX record provides this information by pointing to the receiver domain's mail servers that are designated to accept incoming emails.
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<Messagetype="important">
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You must end your domain with a **trailing dot** as this disables domain search, using only the complete domain name you have given.<br />
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<br />
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Not ending your domain name with a trailing dot results in your domain being tried with a domain name appended to it, or even a list of domain names until one [resolves](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution).<br />
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<br />
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For example, if you want `mydomain.com` to point to `mynewdomain.com`, you **must** write `mynewdomain.com.` in the **Hostname** field. Otherwise, the CNAME record will direct your users to `mynewdomain.com.mynewdomain.com`.<br />
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Ensure you add a [trailing dot](#formatting-note-trailing-dot) when creating an MX record.
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</Message>
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###NAPTR record
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## NAPTR record
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**NAPTR record** stands for **Naming Authority Pointer record**. It provides instructions for translating a specific type of data into a different format. NAPTR records help devices and services such as Voice over Internet Protocol systems, find the appropriate servers or services to connect to. They essentially act as a guide, pointing out how to transform certain data to match what is needed for communication or service interaction.
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-**Replacement domain**: A replacement string that is used to replace the matched portion of the domain name based on the regular expression.
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###NS record
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## NS record
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**NS record** stands for **Name server record**. It is used to designate the authoritative name servers for a specific domain.
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When a DNS query is made for a domain's information (like its IP address), DNS resolvers will follow the NS records to determine which authoritative name servers to contact for that domain.
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The authoritative name servers then provide the necessary DNS information to complete the query.
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<Messagetype="important">
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You must end your domain with a **trailing dot** as this disables domain search, using only the complete domain name you have given.<br />
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<br />
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Not ending your domain name with a trailing dot results in your domain being tried with a domain name appended to it, or even a list of domain names until one [resolves](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution).<br />
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<br />
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For example, if you want `mydomain.com` to point to `mynewdomain.com`, you **must** write `mynewdomain.com.` in the **Hostname** field. Otherwise, the CNAME record will direct your users to `mynewdomain.com.mynewdomain.com`.<br />
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Ensure you add a [trailing dot](#formatting-note-trailing-dot) when creating a NS record.
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</Message>
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###SRV record
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## SRV record
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**SRV record** stands for **Service record**. It provides information about specific network services offered by a domain.
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It includes details like the service's protocol, port number, priority, weight, and the domain name of the server offering the service. SRV records help devices locate and connect to the right servers for specific services on the internet such as chat or phone services.
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<Messagetype="important">
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You must end your domain with a **trailing dot** as this disables domain search, using only the complete domain name you have given.<br />
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<br />
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Not ending your domain name with a trailing dot results in your domain being tried with a domain name appended to it, or even a list of domain names until one [resolves](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution).<br />
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<br />
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For example, if you want `mydomain.com` to point to `mynewdomain.com`, you **must** write `mynewdomain.com.` in the **Hostname** field. Otherwise, the CNAME record will direct your users to `mynewdomain.com.mynewdomain.com`.<br />
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Ensure you add a [trailing dot](#formatting-note-trailing-dot) when creating a SRV record.
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</Message>
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###TLSA record
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## TLSA record
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**TLSA record** stands for **Transport Layer Security Authentication record**. It is used to associate a TLS certificate or public key with the specified domain name.
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TLSA records allow you to improve the security of encrypted connections by specifying how clients should verify the authenticity of the server's certificate when establishing a TLS connection.
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When a client connects to a server using TLS and encounters a TLSA record, it can use the information in the record to verify that the presented certificate matches the expected one. This adds an extra layer of security by making sure that encrypted connections are established with legitimate servers.
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###TXT record
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## TXT record
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**TXT record** stand for **Text record**. It consists of plain text data, and its content can be human-readable or machine-interpretable, depending on its intended purpose.
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TXT records can be used for various purposes such as adding information, verification, authentication, and configuration settings to a domain.
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TXT records can be used for various purposes such as adding information, verification, authentication, and configuration settings to a domain.
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## Formatting note: trailing dot
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In the case of ALIAS, CNAME, DNAME, MX, NS and SRV records, you **must** end your domain with a **trailing dot** to use only the complete hostname you have given.
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Not ending your domain name with a trailing dot can result in your domain being tried with a domain name appended to it, or even a list of domain names until one [resolves](/domains-and-dns/concepts/#domain-name-resolution).
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For example, if you create a CNAME record to point `mydomain.com` to `mynewdomain.com`, you must write `mynewdomain.com.` (with a trailing dot) in the Hostname field. Otherwise, the DNS resolver may try to resolve `mynewdomain.com.mydomain.com`, leading to incorrect behavior.
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