DNS Record Reference

v1.0.0

Browse all DNS record types with syntax, examples, and RFC references.

20 record types found

Address Record

Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address.

CommonRFC 1035

Syntax

name TTL IN A <ipv4>

Example

example.com. 3600 IN A 93.184.216.34

AAAA

IPv6 Address Record

Maps a hostname to an IPv6 address.

CommonRFC 3596

Syntax

name TTL IN AAAA <ipv6>

Example

example.com. 3600 IN AAAA 2606:2800:220:1:248:1893:25c8:1946

CNAME

Canonical Name Record

Creates an alias from one hostname to another. Cannot coexist with other records for the same name.

CommonRFC 1035

Syntax

alias TTL IN CNAME target

Example

www.example.com. 3600 IN CNAME example.com.

Mail Exchange Record

Specifies mail servers responsible for receiving email for the domain. Lower priority value = higher priority.

MailRFC 1035

Syntax

name TTL IN MX priority target

Example

example.com. 3600 IN MX 10 mail.example.com.

TXT

Text Record

Stores arbitrary text data. Used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, domain verification, and more.

CommonRFC 1035

Syntax

name TTL IN TXT "text"

Example

example.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"

Nameserver Record

Delegates a DNS zone to authoritative nameservers.

CommonRFC 1035

Syntax

name TTL IN NS nameserver

Example

example.com. 3600 IN NS ns1.example.com.

SOA

Start of Authority Record

Contains administrative information about the DNS zone including the primary nameserver and zone serial number.

CommonRFC 1035

Syntax

name TTL IN SOA mname rname serial refresh retry expire minimum

Example

example.com. IN SOA ns1.example.com. admin.example.com. 2024010101 3600 900 604800 300

PTR

Pointer Record

Maps an IP address back to a hostname (reverse DNS lookup).

CommonRFC 1035

Syntax

reversed-ip.arpa. TTL IN PTR hostname

Example

34.216.184.93.in-addr.arpa. IN PTR example.com.

SRV

Service Record

Specifies the location of services within a domain. Used by VoIP, XMPP, and other protocols.

AdvancedRFC 2782

Syntax

_service._proto.name TTL IN SRV priority weight port target

Example

_xmpp-server._tcp.example.com. 86400 IN SRV 5 0 5269 xmpp.example.com.

CAA

Certification Authority Authorization

Restricts which certificate authorities (CAs) are allowed to issue SSL/TLS certificates for your domain.

SecurityRFC 8659

Syntax

name TTL IN CAA flag tag value

Example

example.com. 3600 IN CAA 0 issue "letsencrypt.org"

SPF

Sender Policy Framework

Specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of the domain. Stored as a TXT record.

MailRFC 7208

Syntax

name TTL IN TXT "v=spf1 ..."

Example

example.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 ip4:192.0.2.0/24 include:sendgrid.net -all"

DKIM

DomainKeys Identified Mail

Public key stored as TXT record, used to verify email signatures. Record name format: selector._domainkey.domain.

MailRFC 6376

Syntax

selector._domainkey.name TTL IN TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=<pubkey>"

Example

default._domainkey.example.com. IN TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0..."

DMARC

DMARC Policy

Policy for how receivers should handle email that fails SPF and DKIM checks. Stored as TXT at _dmarc.

MailRFC 7489

Syntax

_dmarc.name TTL IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=policy; ..."

Example

_dmarc.example.com. IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"

DNSKEY

DNS Key Record

Stores public keys for DNSSEC. Used to verify digital signatures in the DNS zone.

SecurityRFC 4034

Syntax

name TTL IN DNSKEY flags protocol algorithm key

Example

example.com. 3600 IN DNSKEY 257 3 8 AwEAAba...

Delegation Signer

Contains a hash of a child zone's DNSKEY. Used to establish a chain of trust in DNSSEC.

SecurityRFC 4034

Syntax

name TTL IN DS keytag algorithm digesttype digest

Example

example.com. 3600 IN DS 28349 8 2 A2B18FE...

TLSA

TLS Authentication Record

Associates a TLS server certificate or public key with the domain (DANE). Restricts which certs are valid.

SecurityRFC 6698

Syntax

_port._proto.name TTL IN TLSA usage selector type cert-data

Example

_443._tcp.example.com. IN TLSA 3 1 1 2BB246...

NAPTR

Naming Authority Pointer

Enables rewriting of domain names for use with URIs, telephone numbers, and other identifiers.

AdvancedRFC 3403

Syntax

name TTL IN NAPTR order pref flags service regexp replacement

Example

example.com. IN NAPTR 100 10 "u" "E2U+sip" "!^.*$!sip:info@example.com!" .

LOC

Location Record

Stores geographic location data (latitude, longitude, altitude) for a host.

AdvancedRFC 1876

Syntax

name TTL IN LOC d1 m1 s1 lat-hem d2 m2 s2 long-hem alt siz hp vp

Example

example.com. IN LOC 51 30 12.748 N 0 7 39.611 W 0m 1m 10000m 10m

HINFO

Host Information

Historical record for documenting CPU type and OS. Rarely used today due to security concerns.

AdvancedRFC 1035

Syntax

name TTL IN HINFO cpu-type os

Example

host.example.com. IN HINFO "x86-64" "Linux"

SSHFP

SSH Fingerprint Record

Stores SSH public key fingerprints for SSHFP-enabled SSH clients to verify host keys automatically.

SecurityRFC 4255

Syntax

name TTL IN SSHFP algorithm fingerprint-type fingerprint

Example

host.example.com. IN SSHFP 3 2 9fd58fa6... # ECDSA SHA-256