'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='100'%20cy='100'%20r='84'%20fill='%23093e47'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='100'%20cy='100'%20r='79'%20fill='url(%23teal)'/%3e%3cg%20transform='translate(55,55)'%20stroke='url(%23cmd)'%20stroke-width='11'%20fill='none'%20stroke-linecap='round'%20stroke-linejoin='round'%3e%3crect%20x='27'%20y='27'%20width='36'%20height='36'%20rx='5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='13.5'%20cy='13.5'%20r='13.5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='76.5'%20cy='13.5'%20r='13.5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='13.5'%20cy='76.5'%20r='13.5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='76.5'%20cy='76.5'%20r='13.5'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
An A record, short for Address record, is the most fundamental type of DNS entry. It maps a hostname such as example.com or www.example.com to a specific IPv4 address, allowing browsers, mail servers, and any other client to translate the name into a numeric address they can actually connect to.
When you type a domain into a browser, the resolver looks up the A record to find the server hosting the website. A domain can have multiple A records pointing to several IP addresses, which providers use for load balancing and redundancy by distributing requests across servers.
The IPv6 equivalent of an A record is the AAAA record, which maps a name to a 128-bit IPv6 address. Modern domains commonly publish both A and AAAA records so that clients on either protocol can reach them. A records are also what CNAME chains ultimately resolve to.
In email contexts, A records play a supporting role. If a domain has no MX record, mail servers fall back to its A record to attempt delivery, so an A record can act as an implicit mail destination. Checking a domain's A record is also a quick way to confirm it resolves to a live server at all.