GLOSSARY

What is an A record?

An A record maps a domain name to an IPv4 address; AAAA maps to IPv6. Learn how they work and look one up free.

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An A record is the DNS record that points a domain name at an IPv4 address — the core mapping that lets a browser find a website’s server. Its IPv6 counterpart is the AAAA record.

Name to address

When you visit a domain, DNS resolves its A record to get the IPv4 address the browser connects to. A domain can have multiple A records for load balancing or redundancy, and the record’s TTL controls how long resolvers cache it before checking again.

A vs AAAA

A records hold 32-bit IPv4 addresses (like 93.184.216.34); AAAA records hold 128-bit IPv6 addresses. Most domains publish both so clients can connect over whichever protocol they support.

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FAQ

What is the difference between A and AAAA records?›
A points to an IPv4 address; AAAA points to an IPv6 address. Both map a name to a server.
How do I find a domain’s A record?›
Run our DNS lookup — it returns the A and AAAA records with their IP addresses.

Related

What is DNS?DNS translates domain names into IP addresses — the internet’s phone book. Learn how it works and run a DNS lookup free.What is a CNAME record?A CNAME record aliases one domain name to another, so it inherits that name’s address. Learn how CNAMEs work and look one up free.How to do a DNS lookupLook up a domain’s DNS records — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME — from our servers. Step-by-step, plus what each record tells you.