What is an A record in DNS

Every time someone visits your website, a DNS lookup runs in the background. The browser asks for your domain name and expects an IP address in return. The A record is the DNS entry that supplies that answer for IPv4 traffic. If you are connecting a custom domain to a website, switching hosts, or troubleshooting a site that will not load, the A record is usually the first place to look.

What is an A record?

An A record (the A stands for address) is a DNS record type that maps a domain name or subdomain to an IPv4 address. An IPv4 address looks like 93.184.216.34: four groups of numbers separated by dots. When a browser resolves your domain, it reads your A record and sends the visitor to that IP address.

Every domain that serves a website over standard IPv4 needs at least one A record. Your root domain (example.com) typically has one. Subdomains like www or shop can have their own A records pointing to the same server or a different one.

How does an A record work in a DNS lookup?

When someone types your domain into a browser, the request passes through recursive DNS resolvers until it reaches the authoritative nameserver for your domain. That server holds your DNS zone file, which includes your A record along with other record types.

The resolver asks for the A record specifically. The nameserver responds with the IP address stored in that record. The resolver caches the answer for a period controlled by your TTL setting, then passes the IP address to the browser. The browser connects to that server and requests your website files.

The entire chain depends on the A record being present, correct, and pointing at a server that is actually hosting your site. A typo in the IP address, a missing record, or a stale cached value are the most common reasons a domain fails to load after a change.

What is the difference between an A record and an AAAA record?

An A record handles IPv4 addresses. An AAAA record does the same job for IPv6 addresses, which use a longer format like 2606:2800:220:1:248:1893:25c8:1946.

Most websites still rely primarily on A records because IPv4 remains the default path for web traffic. Adding an AAAA record makes your site reachable over IPv6 as well. Many hosting setups provide both. If you only configure an A record, IPv6-only visitors may not reach your site. If you only configure AAAA, IPv4 visitors cannot connect.

When do you need an A record?

You need an A record whenever you want a domain or subdomain to load a website from a specific server. Common situations include the following.

• Launching a new website. After registering a domain, you add an A record pointing to your hosting server so visitors reach your pages.
• Switching hosting providers. You update the A record to the new server's IP address. Until DNS propagation completes, some visitors may still hit the old server.
• Pointing a subdomain at a separate server. A blog at blog.yourbrand.com can have its own A record pointing to a different IP than your main site.
• Connecting a domain to a website builder. The platform gives you an IP address or hostname to use. An A record is how you tell the world where to send traffic.

Common A record mistakes

Three mistakes show up repeatedly when people configure A records for the first time.

Using the wrong IP address. Hosting providers sometimes give you a shared IP, a dedicated IP, or a load balancer address. Copy the exact value from your hosting panel. One digit off and your site will not load.

Forgetting about www. Your root domain and your www subdomain are separate DNS entries. If visitors type www.yourbrand.com and only the root domain has an A record, the www version may fail. Configure both, or set up a redirect from one to the other.

Changing the record without lowering TTL first. If your TTL is set to 24 hours and you update the A record, some DNS servers will keep serving the old IP until their cache expires. Lower your TTL a day or two before a planned migration so the change spreads faster.

How WEMASY handles A records

When you connect a custom domain to a WEMASY website, the platform walks you through the DNS records you need, including the correct A record values. WEMASY includes hosting, SSL, and domain management in one subscription, so the IP address your A record should point to is always available in your dashboard.

You do not need to become a DNS expert to get your site live. The setup guide shows exactly which records to add and verifies when they are working. See what is included in each plan on the WEMASY pricing page.

What comes next

Now that you understand what an A record does, explore how AAAA records handle IPv6 traffic, or read the chapter on how DNS works for the full picture of how domain names resolve to servers.

Frequently asked questions