Domain Name Sanity Blog

There are many DNS record types, and they vary from being absolutely essential, to simply being quite useful. Two of the most commonly used DNS records are A records and CNAME records. Let’s take a closer look at what each of these DNS records is and what their functions are, so as to better understand what the difference between a CNAME and an A record is.

In DNS, an SPF record, or Sender Policy Framework record, is a TXT record that allows you to list the authorized hostnames and IP addresses that have permission to send emails under the auspice of your domain, i.e. on behalf of it. When you set up an SPF record, you specify the exact hosts which have the authority to send emails from your domain.

A CNAME record (stands for “canonical name” record) is a DNS record which is used to connect an alias of a domain (or a subdomain) with the main domain. In other words, it takes visitors arriving at the alias domain to the same website which is associated with the main domain itself. CNAME records don’t point to IP addresses, but only to a domain.

An A record holds the most essential information about a domain: it contains the IP address associated with that domain. In other words, an A record has the instructions which connect the address of a computer through its hostname. The “A” in this type of record stands for address because it discloses the requested IP address.

Email forwarding, sometimes referred to as email aliases or email redirects, forwards emails from a custom email account, normally associated with your website, to your own, pre-existing email address. In other words, email forwarding allows you to create a “dummy” email address through which people’s emails can reach your own existing mailbox, the one that you regularly use.

If you’re thinking about using the .fun gTLD for your website, we’ll help you brush up on everything you need to know about it – its history, who runs it, what it’s used for, and where you can get your very own .fun domain extension.