6.1Record types
Use these types to check a normal DNS record:
| Type | What it holds | How to write the expected value |
|---|---|---|
| A | The IPv4 address the name points to. | The address, such as 76.76.21.21. |
| AAAA | The IPv6 address the name points to. | The address in its short form, in lower case. |
| CNAME | Another name this name is an alias for. | The target host name, without a dot at the end. |
| MX | A mail server that receives email for the domain. | The host name only. Leave out the priority number and the dot at the end. |
| TXT | Free text, used for verification codes and policies. | The whole text of one record. If the record is split into parts, join the parts with nothing between them. |
A CNAME check reads only the name's own CNAME record. It does not follow the chain to the end. A name with no CNAME record fails.
How expected values match#
- No expected values: the check is up when the lookup finds at least one record.
- With expected values: the check is up when at least one record equals at least one expected value. The dashboard says: "passes if ANY returned record matches ANY expected value".
- The match is exact, including upper and lower case. There are no wildcards.
Messages#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
dns A acme.io: no records returned | The name has no record of this type. | Check that the record exists at your DNS provider. |
dns A acme.io: expected one of [76.76.21.21], got [198.51.100.4] | The record exists but has a different value. | Fix the record. If you changed it on purpose, update the expected value. |
If the lookup itself fails, the message shows the error from DNS, such as a name that does not exist.