# DNS Record Types Explained ⤷ When you type any website like take my personal website as an example : [prakashtsx.me](http://prakashtsx.me) . How does your browser know where that website actually lives ? Probably you will say it lives at domain address like .com .in or any other domain . ***But that not the case .*** ⤑ You know A domain name is only a **name** , not an address. ⤑ Your browser needs the real server address (as IP address) to load a website. ⤑ This is where DNS (Domain Name System) comes in . ✢ DNS is the **phonebook of the Internet**. ⤑ It translates human-friendly names into machine-friendly addresses, so browsers can find the correct server. ✢ In this article, we will learn exactly how DNS works and what each DNS record does using real examples from my website : * [**prakashtsx.me**](http://prakashtsx.me) * [**blog.prakashtsx.me**](http://blog.prakashtsx.me) --- ### 1\. What DNS Is ? ⤷ Imagine you want to visit a friend’s house. You know their **name**, but not their **address**. So you check your phone contacts → the contact shows the **address** → you travel there. ✢ DNS works the same way. * You type [**prakashtsx.me**](http://prakashtsx.me) * Your browser doesn’t know the IP * DNS tells the browser the correct server address * Browser loads the website ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1769012646444/2588c941-e3a0-45b9-8f3f-dea86b8a7e43.png align="center") ### 2\. Why DNS Records Are Needed ? ⤷ A domain is not just a website. It can have: * Subdomains ([blog.prakashtsx.me](http://blog.prakashtsx.me)) * Email servers * Verification settings * Aliases * IPv4 and IPv6 addresses * Name servers (authoritative DNS) ⤑ To manage all of this, DNS uses **different record types**, each with a specific purpose. ⤑ Think of DNS as a file with different sections: * One section says : This domain belongs to this server. * Another says : This is the mail server. * Another says : This subdomain points here. These sections are called **DNS Records**. ### **3\. NS Record (Name Server Record)** **Who is responsible for this domain?** ⤷ NS records tell the world **which DNS servers contain the real (authoritative) information** for a domain. ### **You used the command:** ```plaintext nslookup -type=ns prakashtsx.me ``` ### **The DNS resolver replied with:** ```plaintext prakashtsx.me nameserver = dns1.registrar-servers.com prakashtsx.me nameserver = dns2.registrar-servers.com ``` ### ✢ What this means: ⤷ *These two servers are the “authoritative DNS servers” for your domain.* In simple words: *They are the official place where the REAL DNS records of prakashtsx.me live.* ⤑ If the entire internet wants to know: * What is the A record of [prakashtsx.me](http://prakashtsx.me)? * What is the MX record? * What is the CNAME for [blog.prakashtsx.me](http://blog.prakashtsx.me)? * What are the TXT verification records? They will **ask these two servers**, because these servers are responsible for your domain. ### **4\. A Record (Address Record IPv4)** ⤷ ***Which IPv4 server does this domain point to ?*** The most common DNS record. It maps a domain → IPv4 address. Output from `nslookup prakashtsx.me` : ```plaintext prakashtsx.me → A → 216.198.79.1 ``` Meaning: When someone types [**prakashtsx.me**](http://prakashtsx.me), DNS tells the browser to go to **216.198.79.1**. ### **5\. AAAA Record (IPv6 Address Record)** ⤷ ***Which IPv6 server does this domain point to ?*** Same as A record, but for IPv6. Example: ```plaintext prakashtsx.me → AAAA → 2606:4700::abcd ``` (Your domain may or may not have AAAA many small sites skip IPv6.) ♦ ***Some of you ask me what is IPv4 and IPv6 . So please refer to below i have write it properly which can help you to understand the main difference between both .*** ### ✢ **IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4)** ⤑ **This is the older and most common type of IP address.** ### Example: ```plaintext 216.198.79.1 ``` ### **Structure** * 4 numbers * Each between **0–255** * Separated by dots * Total ≈ **4.3 billion** possible addresses ### ✢ **Why IPv4 is not enough?** ⤑ The world ran out of IPv4 addresses because every device needs one: * Phones * Laptops * Smart TVs * Servers * Cameras * IoT devices We needed a newer, bigger system. --- ### ✢ **IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6)** ⤑ ***This is the newer version with almost unlimited addresses.*** ### Example: ```plaintext 2606:4700:3033::ac43:bdff ``` ### **Structure** * Hexadecimal (0-9, a-f) * Separated by colons * Extremely large address space * Total = **340 undecillion** (3.4 × 10³⁸) addresses → Enough for every grain of sand on Earth to have millions of IPs ### ✢ **Why IPv6 exists?** To handle: * Billions of new devices * Faster routing * More efficient networks * Better security (built-in features) --- ### ✢ **How It Relates to DNS** DNS records are simply: * **A Record** → Domain → IPv4 Example: [`prakashtsx.me`](http://prakashtsx.me) `→ 216.198.79.1` * **AAAA Record** → Domain → IPv6 Example: [`example.com`](http://example.com) `→ 2606:4700:3033::1` Both point your domain to a server just using two different formats. ### **6\. CNAME Record (Canonical Name / Alias)** ***This domain is actually another name.*** CNAME is used when : ⤑ One domain should point to **another** domain. Output from `nslookup`: ```plaintext blog.prakashtsx.me → CNAME → hashnode.network hashnode.network → A → 76.76.21.21 ``` Meaning : * Your blog subdomain is an **alias** * It points to **Hashnode’s** domain * Hashnode automatically provides the final IP CNAME is perfect for: * [`www.example.com`](http://www.example.com) * [`blog.example.com`](http://blog.example.com) * [`api.example.com`](http://api.example.com) ### **7\. MX Record (Mail Exchange Record)** ***Where should email for this domain be delivered ?*** If someone sends email to : [`mail@prakashtsx.me`](mailto:someone@prakashtsx.me) ⤑ The sending email server checks the domain’s **MX records** to find the correct mail server. Example: ```plaintext prakashtsx.me → MX → mailhost.someprovider.com ``` Without MX records, a domain **cannot receive email**. ### **8\. TXT Record (Text / Verification / Security)** ⤑ TXT records store **extra information**. ⤑ Originally created for notes, now heavily used for **security**. Common uses: ### ✢ **SPF (Email authentication)** ⤑ Specifies which servers are allowed to send mail for your domain. Example: ```plaintext v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all ``` ### ✢ **DKIM (Email signature keys)** ### ✢ **DMARC (Email protection rule)** ### **Domain Verification** * Google Search Console * Cloudflare * AWS * GitHub Pages * Hashnode * etc. Example: ```plaintext google-site-verification=abc123xyz ``` ⤑ TXT is extremely flexible and widely used. ### 9\. Simple Diagram: DNS Flow ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1769015455561/07163f52-103b-46d7-9f25-a88039c748fd.png align="center")