A Record and MX Record

 

• A Record (Address Record):

  • Purpose: Translates a domain name into its corresponding IP address.

  • Example:

    • Domain Name: www.example.com

    • A Record: 192.168.1.100 (IP Address)

  • How it works: When you type "www.example.com" into your web browser, your computer queries a DNS server. The DNS server looks for the A record associated with "www.example.com" and returns the corresponding IP address (192.168.1.100). Your computer then uses this IP address to connect to the website's server.

  

  
  

  
  

• MX Record (Mail Exchanger Record):

  • Purpose: Specifies the mail server responsible for handling email for a particular domain.

  • Example:

    • Domain Name: example.com

    • MX Record: mail.example.com (mail server hostname)

  • How it works: When someone sends an email to "user@example.com," the sending mail server queries the DNS for the MX record of "example.com." The MX record directs the sending server to the specified mail server (mail.example.com) to deliver the email.

Key Differences

Feature	A Record	MX Record
Purpose	Translates domain name to IP address	Specifies mail server for a domain
Type of Information	IP address	Mail server hostname
Used For	Accessing websites	Receiving emails

In Summary:

• A Records are essential for browsing websites by translating domain names into IP addresses.

• MX Records are crucial for email delivery by directing emails to the appropriate mail servers.