DNS Record Identification Guide
Understanding the core components of the Domain Name System.
Common Record Types
- A Record: Maps a domain to an IPv4 address.
- AAAA Record: Maps a domain to an IPv6 address.
- CNAME: Canonical Name. Forwards one domain to another domain.
- MX Record: Mail Exchange. Directs email traffic to the correct mail server.
- TXT Record: Used for verification (Google Search Console), security (SPF, DKIM), and notes.
What is TTL?
**TTL (Time to Live)** is a value in seconds that tells DNS resolvers how long they should cache a record before checking for updates. A lower TTL means changes will propagate faster across the internet.
Propagation Note
DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to update globally, depending on your TTL settings and external ISP caching.