An A Record in DNS Connects a Domain Name to a Website
A website is made up of many files that are stored on a server computer. That server computer could be anywhere in the world. Understanding what is an A record in DNS starts with understanding how a browser is able to find that specific server.
That is where the A record in DNS comes in.
The A record tells the browser which IP address it needs to go to in order to get the website for the given domain name. There are a few important things to know about an A record and how to properly manage it.
What Is an A Record in DNS and What Does It Do?
The A record in DNS is set to the IP address of the server that the website is hosted on. Users essentially could just manually type in an IP address like 207.7.81.167 but the odds of anyone remembering that are not great. Hence the reason we have easy to remember domain names like fullscopecreative.com (which is on a server with the IP address of 207.7.81.167).
When someone enters a domain name in their browsers or clicks a link from Google, the browsers checks the domain names DNS settings for information it needs. A key piece of that information is the A record. Once it has that A record, the IP address, it will know exactly where to go.
In a nutshell, an A record in DNS is a direction, like latitude and longitude, for exactly where a website is stored.
Can a Domain Have More Than One A Record?
It is possible for a domain name to have more than one A record, but it is rare. For most small business websites, there would only be one A record. Having multiple can lead to confusion for the browser if everything isn’t set up perfectly.
The one A record in DNS settings for a domain name should be set to a dedicated IP address.
Why We Point A Records to a Dedicated IP Address
An A record needs to list the IP address where the website is hosted. That IP address should be a dedicated IP address. That means it should be used for that one website, and that one website only.
Sharing IP addresses between multiple sites can lead to confusion and many other issues. For all of the websites we host a Full Scope Creative, each is on a dedicated IP address for those reasons.
A dedicated IP helps keep the website’s destination clear and separate from unrelated websites.
Updating an A Record When a New Website Goes Live
Anytime you move to a new website hosting provider or the dedicated IP needs to change, you’ll need to update this A record in DNS settings to reflect the new one. When launching a new website, especially on a new hosting platform or provider, updating the A record will likely be one of the very last steps to complete.
Once the A record is updated, it will need to go through a full propagation process. This process can take up to 72 hours to complete. During this, the update A record is sent out to all the DNS servers around the globe.
How to Update an A Record
A records are managed in one of two places most commonly. The first is wherever the domain name is registered at. That could be GoDaddy.com, Register.com, or ideally with Full Scope Creative. Depending on the exact setup of the registrar, you may have to update the A record through the hosting environment. In cPanel this would be done through the Zone Editor. Those updates through the Zone Editor can be a bit more complex and you may want to have your hosting provider assist.
When updating, it is important to replace the exiting A record IP address with the new one. Don’t just create a new A record as that can lead to confusion for browsers. That confusion for browsers can equal downtime for your website and possible users who look elsewhere.
When adding the new IP address, it is best to copy and paste the full address rather than typing it out. IP addresses can be quite long and touch to remember and too many chances for typos. Worst of all, if you have a typo and hit submit, that will still need to propagate before you can make the correct IP address go live.
If you’re hosting with Full Scope Creative or register your domain name through us, all you have to do is email or call and we’ll help with any DNS updates needed.
How Long Does an A Record Take to Update?
During this time, if you go to the main domain name for the site, you might see the new site or the old site. You might even sometimes see no site. This is an unfortunate part of the DNS propagation. Thankfully, they are all usually wrapped up in much less than the 72 hour maximum.
As mentioned before, once you save an update to a DNS record it will not be immediately updated everywhere. It will need to go through the full propagation process. Once you save the update, the A record is updated and internet providers and DNS systems around the globe will be notified of the update.
Ready to make updates to your A records in DNS?
DNS settings and A records can be a bit confusing for many. They are a technically necessary setting to make a website work.
If any of the DNS updates such as A records are in any way confusing, simply reach out to Full Scope Creative and we can help clarify the process and all that is needed.