What Is a DNS A Record?

What Is an A Record?

A DNS A record (“Address” record) is a DNS entry that maps a domain or subdomain to a specific IPv4 address. It’s the most basic and most commonly used DNS record type. When a browser looks up example.com, the A record is typically what tells it exactly which server to connect to, identified by IP address.

How a DNS A Record Works

Every device connected to the internet is reachable by an IP address, a numeric identifier like 192.0.2.10. Domain names exist because IP addresses aren’t memorable. The A record is the translation layer. It stores the pairing of a hostname to an IP address inside the domain’s DNS zone. When a resolver receives a query for that hostname, it returns the IP from the A record. The browser then connects directly to that address.

DNS Record Types and the DNS Zone

A dns zone is the file, hosted at the registrar or the host, that holds every DNS record for a domain. It’s the container the A record lives inside. DNS supports several dns record types beyond the A record, each with a different job: routing email, verifying ownership, or aliasing one domain to another. The full reference for every type is covered in DNS record types.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up an A Record

1. Get the server’s IP address from the hosting provider’s welcome email or dashboard.
2. Log in to the DNS management panel, at the registrar or host (often inside cPanel), wherever the domain’s active DNS zone lives.
3. Create or edit the A record for the relevant name — @ for the root domain, or a subdomain prefix.
4. Enter the IP address as the value.
5. Set the TTL. Use a lower value, e.g. 300 seconds, if a change is anticipated soon, or a standard value, e.g. 3,600 or 86,400 seconds, otherwise.
6. Save and verify using a DNS lookup tool once propagation has had time to run.

Timing and Propagation

A records typically propagate faster than most other DNS changes, since they’re the most frequently queried record type and are often kept at shorter default TTLs. Full propagation is usually complete within a few hours. It occasionally extends to the commonly quoted 48-hour outer bound in rare cases with unusually long ISP caching.

Field Reference: Host Record, IP Address, and TTL

• Name/Host (the host record) — @ for the root domain, or a subdomain prefix.
• Type — A.
• Value — the target IP address (IPv4).
• TTL — cache duration in seconds.

For IPv6 addresses, the equivalent record type is AAAA, which works identically but stores a longer-format address. See the full comparison at DNS record types.

What Is TTL on an A Record?

TTL, short for time to live, sets how long a resolver caches an A record before checking back with the DNS zone for an update. A short TTL, like 300 seconds, means a change spreads faster. A longer TTL, like 86,400 seconds, reduces lookup load but delays how quickly a change is seen everywhere.

Troubleshooting DNS A Record Issues

• Site not loading after setting the A record: confirm the IP is correct and current. Hosting providers occasionally reassign IPs during infrastructure changes.
• “Too many redirects” or wrong site loading: the A record may be pointing at a shared IP hosting many other domains. The server-side configuration for this specific domain hasn’t been added yet.
• A record correct but propagation seems stuck: verify from multiple networks and devices. A single cached local result can look like a stuck record when it’s really just local caching.
• Conflicting records error when saving: a name can’t hold both an A record and a CNAME record simultaneously — remove one before adding the other.

A Records and IPv6

The A record only handles IPv4 addresses. As IPv6 adoption has grown, many hosts also provide an IPv6 address alongside the standard IPv4 one. This is stored in a separate AAAA record rather than in the A record itself. Both can coexist for the same hostname. Modern browsers and operating systems prefer IPv6 when an AAAA record is present and reachable, falling back to the A record’s IPv4 address otherwise. A hosting account without IPv6 support simply has no AAAA record. Traffic resolves through the A record alone with no issue.

How to Point Domain to Hosting with an A Record

The A record is the literal connection between a domain and a hosting server. It is the core mechanism used to point domain settings at a live hosting account, walked through in pointing a domain to hosting. Every time a site changes hosting providers without changing domains, a new A record, with the new server’s IP, is what actually redirects traffic to the new host.

A Record vs CNAME: Which One to Use

An a record vs cname decision comes down to what’s being pointed at. An A record points directly to an IP address. A CNAME record points to another hostname instead, which is then resolved separately. CNAME is useful when the underlying IP might change, since only the target hostname’s own A record needs updating.

FAQ

What’s the difference between an A record and a CNAME record? An A record points directly to an IP address. A CNAME record points to another hostname instead, which is then resolved separately. This is useful when the underlying IP might change.

Can I have more than one A record for the same domain? Yes — multiple A records for one name provide basic redundancy or load distribution across several IP addresses.

Do I need a separate A record for www? Not necessarily. www is commonly set up as a CNAME record pointing back to the root domain, rather than its own A record, though either approach works.

How do I find the correct IP address for my A record? It’s provided directly by the hosting company, usually in the welcome email, account dashboard, or server details page.