A record lookup

Type a domain to see its A records: the IPv4 addresses it points to, and how long resolvers keep each answer.

Free, with no sign-up.

What an A record is

An A record maps a name to one IPv4 address, such as 93.184.216.34. It is the record a browser needs before it can open a connection to your server.

example.com.    300    IN    A    93.184.216.34

Read it left to right: the name, the TTL in seconds, the class (always IN), the type, and the address.

More than one A record

A name can have several A records. Resolvers return all of them, and clients pick one, usually in rotating order. This spreads visitors across servers.

It is not a health check. If one of the addresses is dead, some visitors still get it and see a failure. Remove a dead address, or put a load balancer in front.

Common A record mistakes

  • An old address after a move. The site loads for you and fails for others until the old TTL runs out.
  • An A record next to a CNAME. A name with a CNAME may hold no other record. Providers reject it, or behave unpredictably.
  • A private address. 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x to 172.31.x.x and 192.168.x.x only work inside a private network.
  • The www name forgotten. example.com and www.example.com are two names. Each needs its own record.
Full guide: DNS records explained

Common questions

What is the difference between an A and an AAAA record?+
An A record holds an IPv4 address (four numbers, such as 93.184.216.34). An AAAA record holds an IPv6 address (eight groups of hex digits). A name can have both, and clients with IPv6 usually try AAAA first.
Why do I see a different IP address from the one on my server?+
The domain is probably behind a CDN or proxy such as Cloudflare. The A record then points to the proxy, and the proxy forwards requests to your server.
How long does an A record change take?+
Up to the TTL of the old record. If the old TTL was 3600, some visitors keep the old address for up to an hour. Lower the TTL a day before a planned move, then raise it again afterwards.

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