DNS Record Types

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DNS (Domain Name System) records are used to translate domain names into IP addresses and provide other important information about domains and hosts. Here’s a list of common DNS record types along with some key terminologies:

Common DNS Record Types

  1. A Record (Address Record): Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address.
  2. AAAA Record (Quad-A Record): Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address.
  3. CNAME Record (Canonical Name Record): Points one domain name (an alias) to another domain name.
  4. MX Record (Mail Exchange Record): Specifies mail servers responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain.
  5. TXT Record (Text Record): Holds text information, often used for verifying domain ownership and email sender policies (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
  6. NS Record (Name Server Record): Indicates the servers that have DNS authority for a domain.
  7. SOA Record (Start of Authority Record): Contains administrative information about a domain, like the primary name server and email of the domain administrator.
  8. PTR Record (Pointer Record): Used for reverse DNS lookup, mapping an IP address to a host name.
  9. SRV Record (Service Record): Specifies the location of services (like VOIP, IMAP, etc.) for a domain.
  10. CAA Record (Certification Authority Authorization Record): Specifies which certificate authorities (CAs) are allowed to issue certificates for a domain.

Key DNS Terminologies

  • DNS Zone: A portion of the DNS namespace managed by a specific organization or administrator.
  • TTL (Time To Live): A value that tells other DNS servers how long to cache a particular record before requesting a new copy.
  • DNS Propagation: The time it takes for DNS changes to be updated across the Internet.
  • DNS Resolver: A server that resolves domain names to IP addresses on behalf of a user.
  • DNS Query: A request made to a DNS server for resolving a domain name.
  • Root Servers: The top-level DNS servers in the hierarchy that contain the complete database of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses.

These records and terminologies form the basis of how the DNS system functions, translating human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network.