A record and AAAA record are some of the most popular and essential records in the Domain Name System. These two types of DNS records manage the process of resolving a domain name to аn IP address. This is what makes them valuable and necessary for quick and easy internet access.
A record – definition
A record is the most common and basic type of record used in DNS servers, where “A” stands for Address. It aims to connect domain names to IPv4 addresses. Within your Master Forward DNS zone, you need to create an A record. Your domain name cannot be resolved without this record (or AAAA record), and your visitors cannot be redirected to your server.
Consider the following scenario: You are a web user who wishes to visit www.examplefordomain.com. This DNS query is routed to the DNS resolver. It detects the IP address and then loads the page automatically.
In other words, the A record looks up the IP address using the domain name (IPv4 address).
The structure of an A record is simple and is as follows:
- TYPE: A record
- HOST: examplefordomain.com – the domain name.
- POINTS TO: 79.213.53.168 – the IPv4
- TTL: 1h – time value or time-to-live
What does AAAA record mean?
The AAAA record, also known as Quad A Record, is a DNS record that resolves a domain name/hostname to an IPv6 address. Like the Address record, the AAAA record is located within the Master Forward DNS zone. It is newer than the A record and will eventually completely replace it. Until then, you must store AAAA records alongside A records. Because IPv6 provides many more addresses and additional features, it is worthwhile to use it right away.
The structure of an AAAA record is similar to the A record and is as follows:
- TYPE: AAAA record
- HOST: examplefordomain.com – the domain name.
- POINTS TO: 2002:4fd5:35a8:0:0:0:0:0 – the IPv6
- TTL: 1h – time value or time-to-live
What is the difference between an A record and AAAA record?
The A record and AAAA record are equally important to the Domain Name System. This is because they both operate on the same principle. The difference is that A records resolve a hostname corresponding to an IPv4 address, whereas AAAA records resolve a domain name corresponding to an IPv6 address.
To summarize what has been mentioned thus far, the only difference between the two types of records is that one redirects to an IPv4 address while the other redirects to an IPv6 address.
Furthermore, the A and AAAA records can coexist in the same zone. It is not an issue.
- IPv4 has a 32-bit address space. Heather has a length minimum size of 20 bytes and the maximum is 24 bytes. 4 bytes for each address is the heather.
- IPv6 has a 128-bit address space. Heather has a length of 40 bytes. 16 bytes for each address is the heather.
Conclusion
By way of conclusion, A record and AAAA record serves the primary purpose of DNS: to connect a user to a website using the domain name rather than the difficult to remember IP address. This is what makes them an essential part of the DNS process.