Description of an A record
The address is denoted by the letter A. A record, version 4, connects a domain name to an IP address (IPv4). To put it another way, an A record uses the correct IP address to direct a specific domain that a user has requested to its proper location.
Although it is the most fundamental DNS record available, it is crucial to your DNS settings. It is likely the DNS zone record that is used the most. Redundancy is another benefit of using various A records for a single domain, in addition to its specialized functionality.
Although it’s a simple element, servers’ ability to respond to queries depends on it. It is the king of DNS records because of this. Therefore, DNS must exist.
What’s on inside of it?
The construction of the A record is relatively straightforward and uncomplicated. Check out what’s inside:
- Host: Enter a specific hostname in this field, such as website.net. In fact, you could make a number of A records for that host.
- Type: Select the appropriate DNS record type in this area. In this instance, that is A.
- To: Enter the precise host’s IPv4 address here, for example, 5.8.33.10. You provide a single IPv4 address in this box. You should make the same amount of A records if your domain is accessible from several IP addresses.
- TTL: You can find the exact TTL (Time-to-live) value in this field, expressed in seconds. Servers can now determine how long the information is valid, thanks to it.
When should we use an A record?
When attempting to link a domain name that you have registered with a hosted website, A records are used. Typically, two A records (example.com and http://example.com) are put up so that they can effectively point to both the primary and wildcard versions of the domain. Subdomains can also have additional A records established.
A record vs. CNAME record – Which one to choose?
When the IP addresses are well-known and reliable, the Address record links a name to one or more of them. The CNAME, on the other hand, maps one name to another. When there are no other records for that name, it should only be utilized.
So, which one to select:
- If you control which IP addresses are allotted to a particular system or if the IP addresses are static, use an A record (this is the most common case).
- If you wish to alias one name to another and don’t need other records (such as MX records for emails) for the same name, use a CNAME.
Conclusion
A record is an absolutely fundamental DNS record type. If we don’t know where something is, we can’t find it, and the A DNS record aids in this endeavor. It will specify the location of the address of the specific host that we are looking for.