About DNS Record Explainer

Explain A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV and other DNS records. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Networking collection.

Use Cases

• Understanding DNS records when configuring a new domain
• Learning the difference between A, AAAA, and CNAME records
• Setting up MX records correctly for email service providers
• Debugging TXT record syntax for SPF and DKIM email authentication

Tips

• Look up any record type to see its purpose and format
• Understand MX priority values for email routing configuration
• Learn when to use CNAME vs A records for domain setup

Fun Facts

• The DNS was invented by Paul Mockapetris in 1983 (RFC 882 and 883) to replace the single HOSTS.TXT file maintained by SRI International.
• The original HOSTS.TXT file required manual updates and was distributed via FTP; by 1983 it had become unmanageable with the growing internet.
• The longest allowed DNS name is 253 characters total, with each label limited to 63 characters, as defined in RFC 1035.

FAQ

Which record types does it explain?

A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, NS, SOA, CAA, PTR, HTTPS/SVCB. The ones that appear in real DNS zones.

Does it validate syntax?

Yes — MX records need a priority + target, SRV needs priority+weight+port+target, etc. The tool flags malformed records with specific errors.

What about TXT records?

Parsed and explained. Common uses: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, domain verification for various SaaS. The tool recognizes the patterns.

Can I fetch records live?

Paste records you've gathered from dig/nslookup. This tool doesn't query DNS — that would need a server-side proxy for CORS reasons.