DNS Records – What They Are and How They Work

• Mar 18 2026
• by Ilona K.

How DNS (Domain Name System) records are configured determines whether clients’ websites open, their emails work reliably, external services connect correctly, and whether requests are lost. 

In most companies, DNS records are configured by system administrators, developers, hosting providers, or other technical specialists responsible for managing the domain and infrastructure. But it may happen that the business owner themselves will have to set them up. 

Even if you don’t manually configure them yourself, knowing the principles of setting DNS records helps you make informed domain selections, resolve technical issues faster, communicate with contractors on the same page, and avoid downtime that can cost money and reputation.

What Is a DNS Record?

A DNS is a system that translates human-readable domain names such as example.it.com into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses that servers understand and look like a series of numbers, eg:192.0.2.1.

A DNS record is a text instruction stored on DNS servers that connects a domain name with the resources it should use. In simple terms, it tells the internet where to find a website, where emails should be delivered, or how external services should interact with the domain.

Each record contains:

• Name/Host — the domain or subdomain.
• Type — A, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.
• Value/Target — the IP address or service address.
• TTL (Time to Live) — the record’s caching time.

Why Should You Care About DNS Records as a Business Owner?

DNS records directly affect how your online business works. They control several critical things:

1. Website availability. They determine which server your domain points to. If the record is incorrect, visitors may not be able to open your website.
2. Business email. Email services rely on DNS records to know where messages should be delivered. Incorrect settings can cause emails to bounce or go to spam.
3. Connection of external services. Marketing tools, analytics platforms, cloud services, and website builders often require DNS verification before you can connect them to your domain.
4. Faster troubleshooting. When something stops working on your domain DNS records configuration is often the first thing that needs to be checked. Understanding the basics helps business owners communicate more effectively with developers or hosting providers.

Simply put, DNS records act like routing instructions for your domain. They tell the internet where to send visitors, emails, and service requests. If the records are configured correctly, everything works seamlessly and quickly, but if there is a mistake, your website may not open and your emails may not be delivered. 

 How Do DNS Records Work?

When someone types a domain into a browser or sends an email like [email protected], the DNS looks at the records for that domain to figure out what to do next. Here’s what happens:

1. The browser and computer check to see if they already know the IP address of the site. If a user has visited it recently, the address may already be in memory. This eliminates the need to look anything up, and the site will load faster.

2. If the address isn’t in the browser’s memory, a request is sent to the ISP (Internet Service Provider). The computer contacts the DNS server, usually provided by the ISP, and asks: ‘What is the IP address of this domain?’

3. If the DNS server doesn’t know the answer, it begins to check other servers on the internet:

• first, it finds out who is responsible for the domain extension;
• then it finds out which server stores information about the specific domain;
• and obtains the required IP address from that server.

4. The DNS server sends the IP address found on the user’s computer and temporarily stores it to respond faster next time.

5. The browser then connects to the server using the received IP address and loads the page. To determine where different requests should go (eg: loading a website, sending email, or connecting a service) the DNS system checks the corresponding records stored for the domain.

As all this happens in a fraction of a second, the user doesn’t have time to notice.

DNS Record Types

While there are many different types of DNS records, four are particularly important for the average website owner (whether companies or individuals): A, CNAME, MX, and TXT. These records directly affect whether the website will function, emails arrive, and whether external services connect correctly.

A Record

Usage:

• to link a domain to a hosting provider;
• to specify a website’s IP address.

An A Record (Address Record) is the most important record for a website.

It tells the internet, “A website with this domain name is located at this numeric address (IP).”

Every server has an IP address, a set of specific numbers that identifies a specific website, eg: 192.0.2.1 (IPv4, which is the most commonly used IP standard currently).

An A record links your domain, such as example.it.com, to this numeric address.

Example:

example.com → 192.0.2.1

When a user enters a domain in a browser, the DNS server looks for the A record and returns the corresponding IP address, after which the browser connects to the server, where:

• the domain is the name;
• the IP address is the actual address of the server;
• and the A record is the link between the two.

If the A record:

• is incorrect, the site won’t open;
• points to an old server, the old version of the site will open;
• is missing altogether, the site won’t work.

There is also an AAAA Record, which works similarly, but only for IPv6 addresses (a new IP address standard that provides a wider range of addresses than IPv4 eg: 2001:db8:abc1::54).

CNAME Record

Usage:

• domain verification in the Google Search Console;
• a subdomain setup;
• a SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), DMARC (Domain Based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) configuration; these technologies allow to verify the authenticity of the sender, protect the content of emails, and block spam before it reaches your inbox;
• verification for third party services.

A CNAME (Canonical Name) is an alias for a domain. It indicates that one domain is an alias of another.

Example:

www.example.com → example.com

In this case, www.example.it.com doesn’t have its own IP address, but uses the IP specified in the A record of example.it.com.

A CNAME doesn’t store the IP address. It simply redirects to another domain, which then takes the A record.

MX Records

Usage:

• to connect corporate email to a domain;
• to specify the mail server that accepts emails;
• to set up a backup mail server.

MX (Mail Exchange) records specify which servers to send a domain’s mail to. A domain can have multiple MX records. Each record is assigned a priority in case the primary server is unavailable.

Example:

example.com → mail.example.com (priority 10)

If MX records are missing or configured incorrectly, emails won’t be delivered or will generate sending errors.

TXT Records

Uses:

• to verify domain ownership;
• to set up email spam protection;
• and to connect external services.

TXT records store arbitrary text and are most often used to verify domain ownership and configure security. This text is not intended for people, but for services and verification systems.

Example:

example.com → “v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all”

TXT records don’t directly affect website functionality, but they are important for emails and site security. These records help protect your domain from email spoofing and improve deliverability. For instance, when you connect your email to Google’s server, the system asks you to add a special TXT record as a way to prove that the domain is truly yours.

DNS Record Management

After registering a domain and purchasing a hosting or VPS (Virtual Private Server), you need to link them together to configure the DNS. Where you do this depends on whose DNS servers you use; whether at the registrar, on the hosting provider, or in the VPS control panel.

If you delegate the domain to the hosting provider’s DNS servers, all records can be configured in their control panel. This is usually done through the ‘DNS Zones’ or ‘Domain Management’ sections. There, you can:

1. Change an A record to point the domain to the server’s IP address:

• Add a new A record
• In the ‘Name’ or ‘Host’ field, enter ‘@’ for the root domain or subdomain name (eg: ‘www’).
• In the ‘Value’ or ‘Target’ field, enter the IP address of your server.
• Save the record.

For example:

Host: @ | Type: A | Value: 192.0.2.1

2. Add an MX record for email:

• Add an MX record.
• The ‘Name’ field typically contains ‘@’.
• In the ‘Value’ field, enter the mail server address.
• Specify the priority (lower number means higher priority).
• If you have multiple mail servers, create multiple MX records with different priorities.

For example:

Host: @ | Type: MX | Value: mx1.mail.it.com | Priority: 10

3. Configure a CNAME if you use subdomains or third-party platforms:

• Add a CNAME record.
• In the ‘Name’ field, enter the subdomain name, eg: blog.
• In the ‘Value’ field, enter the target domain, eg: example.it.com or an external service.

For example:

Host: blog | Type: CNAME | Value: example.it.com 

4. Specify TXT records for confirmations, SPFs, DKIMs, and other needs:

• Add a TXT record.
• In the ‘Name’ field, enter ‘@’ or a special subdomain according to the service’s requirements.
• In the ‘Value’ field, enter the token provided or string generated .

For example (this is the SPF record allowing email to be sent on behalf of a domain exclusively to Google Workspace):

Host: @ | Type: TXT | Value: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

When working with a VPS, you most often need to manually enter the A record with the server’s IP address. If you’re deploying a website on your VPS, the domain should direct to your precise IP address, otherwise, it simply won’t open.

It’s also important to understand that each record has a TTL (Time to Live) parameter. This indicates how many seconds the record is cached for. Essentially, it means the internet can remember old settings for a certain period. For instance, if the TTL is 3,600 seconds, the browser will use the stored value for one hour before updating it. When making changes, it’s recommended to temporarily lower the TTL to 300 or even 60 seconds to ensure updates take effect faster.

Depending on the TTL and the provider’s cache, changes to the site or email may not start working immediately, but may take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Therefore, if the site isn’t loading yet, it might be worth waiting a little longer.

DNS Record Issues and Their Solutions

When website or email glitches arise, it’s easy to assume there’s a major issue demanding substantial resources. However, often the problem lies in a DNS record error, which is easily fixed. Below are some common issues, their causes, and solutions.

1. The website doesn’t open.

Causes:

• incorrect A record;
• incorrect IP address specified;
• domain directs to an old server;
• record conflict, eg: both the A and CNAME records have the same name;
• the record hasn't been updated yet.

Solution:

• check the IP address in the hosting provider’s control panel;
• make sure the correct IP is specified in the A record;
• check for unnecessary or conflicting records;
• wait for DNS updates (usually from a few minutes to 24 hours).

2. Mail doesn’t arrive.

Causes:

• missing MX records;
• MX priority errors;
• incorrect mail server specified;
• SPF/DKIM/DMARC are missing or incorrectly configured in TXT records;
• the record hasn't been updated yet.

Solution:

• check MX records against your mail provider’s instructions;
• check record priorities;
• make sure the domain is using the correct name servers;
• add or correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC;
• wait for DNS updates (usually from a few minutes to 24 hours).

3. Services don’t verify the domain.

Causes:

• incorrect TXT records;
• extra spaces, quotation marks, or symbols;
• record added to the wrong subdomain;
• the CNAME record was added instead of the required TXT record (or vice versa);
• the record hasn't been updated yet.

Solution:

• copy the record exactly from the service’s instructions;
• check the record Name;
• make sure the record type is selected correctly;
• check for duplicates;
• wait for DNS updates (usually from a few minutes to 24 hours).

4. The subdomain doesn’t open or the external service doesn’t connect.

Causes:

• the CNAME record points to an incorrect address;
• the CNAME record is configured for the root domain;
• the CNAME record and other records exist simultaneously for the same name;
• old records weren’t deleted after the transfer;
• the record hasn't been updated yet.

Solution:

• check the target address in the service instructions;
• make sure the CNAME record is created specifically for the subdomain, eg: www, app, shop;
• delete conflicting records;
• make sure old A records are deleted;
• wait for DNS updates (usually from a few minutes to 24 hours).

Understanding the basic principles of at least the four main DNS records helps a domain owner feel in control of their infrastructure. Even if configuration is handled by specialists, you’ll be able to quickly identify the source of the problem, ask the right questions, and make informed decisions.

FAQs

Do I need technical skills to configure DNS records?

Not necessarily. Most DNS changes are made through a control panel with fields such as ‘Host’, ‘Type’, ‘Value’, ‘TTL’. 

However, you should understand exactly what you are changing. Even a small mistake in an IP address or mail server value can make a website unavailable or stop an email delivery.

How long do DNS changes take to apply?

DNS changes aren’t always instant. They depend on the TTL value and caching by internet providers. In most cases changes apply within a few minutes, but sometimes it can take up to 24 hours.

What happens if I change hosting?

When changing hosting providers, you must update the A record to point to the new server’s IP, and possibly CNAME records. If DNS records aren’t updated correctly, the domain may continue pointing to the old server.

What is the difference between A and CNAME records?

An A record links a domain directly to a specific IP address.

A CNAME record links one domain to another domain name.

Both serve different purposes and cannot usually exist together for the same host name.

Why are MX and TXT records important for email?

MX records define where incoming emails should be delivered.

TXT records protect your domain from spoofing and improve email deliverability.

Looking for more tips to protect your business online? Visit it.com Domains blogand contact us on social media.

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