---
title: "A record"
description: "An A record maps a domain name to a server's IPv4 address. Learn its structure, the role of TTL and how it is used when pointing domains and migrating."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/a-record"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# A record

> An A record is the fundamental DNS entry that maps a domain name to the IPv4 address of the server hosting a website or service.

An **A record** (*Address record*) is one of the most important entry types in the [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns): it maps a domain name to a specific server [IPv4 address](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ipv4-address). When a browser looks up *example.com*, it is the A record that answers which IP number to find the machine serving the site at.

## How an A record works

An A record lives in a domain's DNS zone and consists of a few fields:

- **name** — a subdomain or the *@* symbol standing for the root domain,
- **type** — *A*,
- **value** — an IPv4 address as four numbers, e.g. *192.0.2.10*,
- **[TTL](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ttl)** — how long the answer may be held in cache.

A single name can have several A records pointing at different addresses — the resolver then returns them in rotation, giving simple load spreading (round-robin DNS). For IPv6 addressing there is the analogous [AAAA record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/aaaa-record), and for pointing at an alias, the [CNAME record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/cname-record).

## The A record in practice

You set an A record whenever you point a domain at a hosting account or server: you enter the machine's IP address and the domain starts directing web traffic to it. During a migration to a new server, you change the A record's value to the new IP — which is why lowering the TTL beforehand is good practice, so the switch happens fast and without downtime. A records are edited in the DNS provider's or hosting control panel.

### How is an A record different from an AAAA record?

Both point to a server address, but an A record returns an IPv4 address (e.g. 192.0.2.10) while an AAAA record returns an IPv6 address. A domain can have both at once, making it reachable over the older and the newer version of the IP protocol.

### How long does an A record change take to apply?

It depends on the TTL. Caching resolvers keep the old answer until it expires, so with a TTL of 3600 s the change spreads within an hour. Before a server migration, lower the TTL in advance so the switch is nearly instant.

## Related

- [AAAA record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/aaaa-record)
- [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns)
- [IPv4 Address](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ipv4-address)
- [TTL](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ttl)
- [CNAME record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/cname-record)

---

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