---
title: "SRV record"
description: "An SRV record names the host and port of a specific network service for a domain. Learn its structure, the priority, weight and port fields and its uses."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/srv-record"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# SRV record

> An SRV (service) record is a DNS entry that, for a specific service, names not just a host but a port number too, with priority and weight for load spreading.

An **SRV record** (*service record*) is a [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns) entry that, for a specific network service, names both the host and the **port number** the service runs on. It goes beyond what an [A record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/a-record) can do — which returns only an IP address — and lets you direct different services of the same domain to different servers and ports.

## How an SRV record works

An SRV record's name has a fixed form: *\_service.\_protocol.domain*, e.g. *\_sip.\_tcp.example.com*. Its value contains four fields:

- **priority** — the priority; a lower value is chosen first,
- **weight** — the weight for spreading traffic among hosts of the same priority,
- **port** — the port number the service listens on,
- **target** — the host name, resolved further via an A/AAAA record.

The mechanism thus combines failover resilience (priority) with simple load balancing (weight), bringing the SRV record's function close to what the [MX record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/mx-record) does for mail, but for any service.

## The SRV record in practice

SRV records are used by protocols and services that must discover their server within a domain on their own: SIP telephony and VoIP, XMPP messaging, directory services in Microsoft environments (Active Directory), and some games and self-hosted apps. Instead of manually entering an address and port in the client configuration, you provide just the domain — the client queries DNS for the right SRV record and learns where and to which port to connect.

### How does an SRV record differ from an A record?

An A record only provides a host's IP address, while an SRV record names the host together with a specific service port and priority and weight parameters. This means the client does not have to assume a default port — it receives the full endpoint to connect to from DNS.

## Related

- [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns)
- [A record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/a-record)
- [MX record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/mx-record)
- [CNAME record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/cname-record)
- [TXT Record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/txt-record)

---

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