An A record (Address record) maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. It is the most fundamental DNS record type: when a browser asks "where is example.com?", the A record answers with the server's IP, like 203.0.113.10. Its IPv6 counterpart is the AAAA record.
What does an A record look like?
An A record has four parts:
| Field | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Name | www | The hostname (relative to your domain, or @ for the root) |
| Type | A | IPv4 address record |
| Value | 203.0.113.10 | The IPv4 address to return |
| TTL | 3600 | How long resolvers may cache the answer, in seconds |
So www.example.com → A → 203.0.113.10 means "connect to 203.0.113.10 when someone visits www.example.com".
When should I use an A record?
- Root domain (
example.com) - the apex must use A/AAAA (or ALIAS), never a CNAME. - Any host with a stable IP - your web server, VPS, or home server (pair with dynamic DNS if the IP changes).
- Round-robin load distribution - multiple A records on one name make resolvers rotate between the IPs.
If the target is another hostname (e.g., a hosting platform's load balancer), use a CNAME instead so you inherit their IP changes automatically.
What TTL should an A record have?
TTL is a trade-off between agility and speed. A low TTL (300s) means changes propagate within minutes but resolvers query your nameservers more often. A high TTL (3600s-86400s) keeps answers cached longer for faster lookups. A good default: 300s during setup and migrations, 3600s once stable.
Wildcard A records
A wildcard record like *.example.com → A → 203.0.113.10 answers for every subdomain that doesn't have its own record - useful for multi-tenant apps (customer1.example.com, customer2.example.com) without creating a record per tenant. Wildcards are fully supported in ice.domains free DNS hosting.
How to create an A record
- Open your DNS provider's record editor (with ice.domains it's in the dashboard under DNS).
- Add a record: type
A, name@(root) or a subdomain likewww, value = your server's IPv4 address. - Set the TTL (300s is a safe start) and save. The record is served by the nameservers within seconds.