What is an A record?

Learn what “A record” means in plain words.

A record

Address record

A DNS entry that points your domain to the number of the server (IP address) where your website runs.

What is an A record used for?

It connects your domain name to a specific server. When a website moves to new hosting, this is usually the record that changes.

What does an A record look like?

In the DNS table it has the type “A”, the name “@” (the domain itself; some registrars leave the name blank instead) and a number as the value, for example 192.0.2.10.

Category: Domains and DNS

DNSThe list of settings for your domain. It tells the internet which server your website is on and where your email should go. Think of it as the internet’s address book.
CNAME recordA DNS entry that says one address is another name for a second one, for example www.yourcompany.com leads to the same place as yourcompany.com.
ServerA computer that runs around the clock and makes a website or email available on the internet.
HostingThe place on the internet where the files of your website live. Without hosting nobody can see your website, even if you have a domain.
DomainThe address of your website, for example yourcompany.com. You buy it for a year or longer from a company that sells domains (a registrar).
Domain registrarThe company where your domain was bought, for example GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare Registrar or Squarespace Domains. You change the domain settings in its dashboard.

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Backup

CDN
CMS
CNAME record

DKIM
DMARC
DNS
Domain
Domain registrar

Hosting
HTTPS

MX record

Plugin

React Email

Server
Spam
SPF
SSL certificate

TXT record

User role

WordPress

Y Combinator

All terms

What is an A record?

What is an A record used for?

What does an A record look like?

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All terms A-Z