A domain's DNS zone is a list of records. Each record answers one kind of question: where is the website, where should email go, who may issue certificates. Knowing the main types makes it easy to connect services such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or a website builder.
In short
- Every record has a name (host), a type, a value and a TTL.
@means the domain itself;wwwmeanswww.example.com.- With MdmHost nameservers you edit records in cPanel Zone Editor.
The common record types
| Type | What it does | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Points a name to an IPv4 address. | 203.0.113.10 |
| AAAA | Points a name to an IPv6 address. | 2001:db8::10 |
| CNAME | Makes a name an alias of another name. | example.com. |
| MX | Says which servers receive email, with a priority. | 10 mail.example.com. |
| TXT | Free text, used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and ownership checks. | v=spf1 +mx +a ~all |
| NS | Lists the authoritative nameservers. | ns1.example.net. |
| SRV | Locates a service with port and priority (VoIP, chat, autodiscover). | 0 5 443 server.example.com. |
| CAA | Limits which certificate authorities may issue SSL for the domain. | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
Rules worth knowing
- A CNAME cannot exist next to other records with the same name, so the bare domain (
@) normally uses an A record. - MX records must point to a hostname, never directly to an IP or a CNAME.
- A domain should have only one SPF TXT record; merge entries instead of adding a second.
- A trailing dot in a value means a full name; without it, some editors append your domain.
Which records matter for what
- Website: A (and AAAA) for
@, CNAME or A forwww. - Email: MX plus TXT for SPF, DKIM and DMARC; see how email hosting works.
- SSL: optional CAA; see CAA records.