What is A record?

A DNS record that points a hostname to an IPv4 address.

An A record maps a name such as www.example.com to an IPv4 address like 93.184.215.14. A name can have several A records for load balancing. Sites behind a CDN usually show the CDN's addresses, not the origin server's.

Related terms

• DNS: The Domain Name System, which maps names like example.com to IP addresses and other records.
• AAAA record: A DNS record that points a hostname to an IPv6 address.
• MX record: A DNS record that tells the internet which servers accept email for a domain.