---
title: "AAAA record"
description: "An AAAA record maps a domain to a server's IPv6 address. Learn how it differs from an A record, its structure and its role in IPv6 reachability."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/aaaa-record"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# AAAA record

> An AAAA record is a DNS entry that maps a domain name to a server's IPv6 address — the IPv6 counterpart of the A record.

An **AAAA record** (read "quad-A") is a [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns) entry that maps a domain name to a server's [IPv6 address](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ipv6-address). It serves the same purpose as an [A record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/a-record), but for the newer, 128-bit version of the IP protocol. The four-letter name comes from the fact that an IPv6 address is four times longer than IPv4 (16 bytes instead of 4).

## What an AAAA record involves

Its structure mirrors the A record, differing only in type and value format:

- **name** — a subdomain or *@* for the root domain,
- **type** — *AAAA*,
- **value** — an IPv6 address written in hexadecimal, e.g. *2001:db8::1*,
- **[TTL](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ttl)** — how long the answer is kept in cache.

A domain usually has both an A and an AAAA record. The client (browser) then picks the protocol version using the *Happy Eyeballs* mechanism, which tries IPv4 and IPv6 in parallel and keeps the faster answer.

## The AAAA record in practice

You add an AAAA record to make a site or service available to users connecting over IPv6 — on mobile networks and with providers who have exhausted their [IPv4](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ipv4-address) pool. The condition is that the server actually listens on an IPv6 address; the DNS entry alone is not enough. In the DNS panel you set it exactly like an A record, entering an IPv6 address instead of IPv4, and it is equally worth planning the TTL ahead of a migration.

### Do I need an AAAA record if I already have an A record?

It is not mandatory — a site with only an A record works for most users, since IPv4 still dominates. Adding an AAAA record, however, ensures reachability over IPv6, which matters on mobile networks and in regions short on IPv4 addresses. A domain can have both records at once.

## Related

- [A record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/a-record)
- [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns)
- [IPv6 Address](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ipv6-address)
- [TTL](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ttl)
- [IPv4 Address](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ipv4-address)

---

Languages: [pl](https://nodea.pl/pl/slownik-pojec/rekord-aaaa.md)  
Site index: [llms.txt](https://nodea.io/en/llms.txt)