DNS Management: A/CNAME/MX/TXT Records Explained

What DNS Actually Does

DNS, or the Domain Name System, translates human readable domain names into the technical information computers need to find your website, deliver your email, and connect to other services tied to your domain. Each type of record within your domain's DNS settings serves a specific, distinct purpose.

If you have not yet read Managing DNS Zones in cPanel/Plesk, it covers where to actually find and edit these records within your control panel. This article focuses on what each record type means.

A Records

An A record points your domain, or a specific subdomain, directly to a numerical IP address, most commonly determining where your website itself is hosted. When someone types your domain into their browser, the A record tells their computer exactly which server to connect to.

CNAME Records

A CNAME record points one domain or subdomain to another domain name, rather than directly to an IP address. This is commonly used for subdomains that should follow wherever the main domain points, without needing to update the subdomain separately if the underlying IP address ever changes.

MX Records

MX records, short for Mail Exchange, determine which mail servers are responsible for receiving email sent to your domain. A domain can have multiple MX records with different priority values, allowing mail delivery to fall back to a secondary server if the primary one is unavailable. Getting MX records correct is essential for reliable email delivery, and an incorrect MX record is one of the most common causes of email not arriving at all.

TXT Records

TXT records store text based information within your domain's DNS settings, commonly used for domain ownership verification with third party services, and for email authentication standards that help prevent your domain from being used in spam or phishing attempts. See Understanding SPF, DKIM and DMARC (Email Authentication) if you are setting up email authentication specifically.

Other Record Types You May Encounter

Beyond these four common types, you may occasionally encounter other record types such as NS records, which specify which nameservers are authoritative for your domain, or SRV records, used by some specific services to locate particular resources. These are less commonly edited directly by most domain owners compared to A, CNAME, MX, and TXT records.

Making Changes Safely

Before editing any DNS record, particularly MX or A records for a domain actively receiving email or website traffic, note the current values in case you need to revert. Changes to these records do not apply instantly across the entire internet. See Domain Name System (DNS) Propagation Explained to understand this delay before making time sensitive changes.

Getting Help

If you are setting up a new service that requires specific DNS records and are unsure how to configure them correctly, our support team can review the required records with you before you make changes to a live, active domain.