How to: Record Types
DNS records (aka zone files) are instructions that live in authoritative DNS servers and provide information about a domain including what IP address is associated with that domain and how to handle requests for that domain.

These records consist of a series of text files written in what is known as _DNS syntax_. DNS syntax is just a string of characters used as commands that tell the DNS server what to do. All DNS records also have a _"TTL"_, which stands for time-to-live, and indicates how often a DNS server will refresh that record.

There are more record types but for now, let's look at some of the most commonly used ones:

- **A (Address record)**: This is the record that holds the IP address of a domain.
- **AAAA (IP Version 6 Address record)**: The record that contains the IPv6 address for a domain (as opposed to A records, which stores the IPv4 address).
- **CNAME (Canonical Name record)**: Forwards one domain or subdomain to another domain, does NOT provide an IP address.
- **MX (Mail exchanger record)**: Directs mail to an email server.
- **TXT (Text Record)**: This record lets an admin store text notes in the record. These records are often used for email security.
- **NS (Name Server records)**: Stores the name server for a DNS entry.
- **SOA (Start of Authority)**: Stores admin information about a domain.
- **SRV (Service Location record)**: Specifies a port for specific services.
- **PTR (Reverse-lookup Pointer record)**: Provides a domain name in reverse lookups.
- **CERT (Certificate record)**: Stores public key certificates.