DNS explained: A, CNAME, MX and TXT records

DNS is the phone book that turns your domain name into the address of a server.

The records you will use

• A record: points a name (like example.com) at a server’s IP address. Used for your website.
• CNAME: points one name at another name, e.g. www at your main domain.
• MX: tells the world which server receives your email.
• TXT: holds text such as domain verification codes and email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

Changes take time

DNS changes can take from minutes to a few hours to reach everyone, depending on the record’s TTL. Plan changes outside your busy hours.

Example

To run UPIPayments on pay.yourdomain.com, add an A record for pay pointing at your hosting server’s IP.