Are you curious about the difference between cname and A records? In this blog post, we will explore the differences between these two types of DNS records and explain when you should use each one. We will also provide a few tips for setting up your DNS records correctly. Let’s get started!
What is Cname Record?
CNAME Records are unique identifiers used to point an alias domain name to the real or canonical domain. CNAME stands for Canonical Name records. A CNAME record is sometimes also referred to as a redirect or an alias record. CNAME Records are generally used when you want to map one domain name (or subdomain) to another. For example, you may want www.example.com and blog.example.com to point to the same website or server. In order for this to work, a CNAME Record must be created for each alias pointing to the canonical or real domain name. CNAME Records are not case sensitive and must be less than 255 characters. They can point to any otherdomain name but cannot co-exist with other records for the same name (e.g., MX, TXT, etc.). When a DNS query arrives for a CNAME Record, the CNAME Record is looked up in the DNS database and the resulting address is returned instead of the CNAME Record itself. This process is transparent to the user and happens behind the scenes. CNAME Records can be used for round robin DNS entries, which can evenly distribute traffic load across multiple servers by returning different IP addresses for each query.
What is A Record?
A Record is a type of Domain Name System (DNS) record that maps a domain name to the IP address of a website. A Records are used by computers to connect to websites and can be thought of as an address book for the internet. When you type a URL into your web browser, the browser looks up the A Record for that domain name and then connects to the IP address associated with it. A Records are the most basic type of DNS record and are required in order for a website to be accessible on the internet. A Records can be set up manually or automatically with most DNS providers.
Difference between Cname and A Record
Cname and A Record are both DNS records. Cname is an alias for another DNS record, while A Record is a unique IP address. Cname can be used to point multiple subdomains to the same IP address, while A Record must be used for each unique IP address. Cname is often used to point www and non-www versions of a domain to the same IP address. Cname cannot be used for root domains, while A Record can be used for root domains. Cname must always point to another DNS record, while A Record can point to either an IP address or another DNS record. Finally, Cname records can be used to create wildcard subdomains, while A Records cannot.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading our blog post on the difference between Cname and A Records. We hope that this information was helpful in understanding the differences between these two types of DNS records.
