Does this tool query my domain's DNS?

No. It only parses and explains text you paste. No DNS lookup is performed, so the domain name you enter is never sent to any server — it stays in your browser.

What are the fields in a zone-file line?

A standard line is: name, optional TTL, optional class (almost always IN), type, then the record data. For example 'example.com. 3600 IN MX 10 mail.example.com.' has name example.com., TTL 3600, class IN, type MX, and data '10 mail.example.com.'.

How accurate is the parsing?

The parser follows the standard zone-file field order (name, optional TTL, optional class, type, then record data) and detects the type from the known record-type set. Unusual multi-line or parenthesised records may only be partially parsed.

What does the priority number in an MX record mean?

In an MX record like '10 mail.example.com.', the 10 is the priority — a lower number is preferred. Mail is delivered to the lowest-priority server first, with higher numbers acting as backups.

Why does it not show the live value of my record?

Browsers cannot resolve arbitrary DNS record types, and resolving would leak the queried name. This privacy-first tool is a reference and parser, so paste the record from your DNS provider to have it explained.

Which record types does it explain?

The common ones: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, PTR, SRV and CAA. Each comes with a plain-English summary and a realistic zone-file example you can adapt.

What is the DNS Record Explainer?

Free DNS record explainer and zone-file parser. Paste an A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, SRV or CAA record to see its name, TTL, class, type and data labelled, plus a plain-English reference for every common record type. No DNS query is made — nothing about your domain is sent anywhere. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

DNS Record Explainer

Name: DNS Record Explainer
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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DNS record explainer

Understand DNS without leaking anything. Paste a single zone-file line and the tool labels its name, TTL, class, type and record data, then explains what that record type does. It is for anyone editing DNS at a registrar or host who wants to confirm a record is shaped correctly.

How it works

A standard zone-file line follows the order name [TTL] [class] type rdata, where the class is almost always IN and may be omitted. The parser tokenises the line on whitespace, finds the type token by matching it against the known record-type set, and labels every field around it — the name comes first, a numeric token before the type is the TTL, and everything after the type is the record data. It then shows a plain-English summary of that record type. No network query is made, so nothing about your domain leaves the browser.

Worked example

Paste:

example.com.  3600  IN  MX  10 mail.example.com.

Field	Value	Meaning
Name	example.com.	The domain this record applies to
TTL	3600	Resolvers may cache this record for 3,600 seconds (1 hour)
Class	IN	Internet class — the standard for all public DNS
Type	MX	Mail exchange — routes incoming email
Data	10 mail.example.com.	Priority 10; lower wins; the mail server hostname

The MX priority number matters when you have multiple records. A record with MX 10 is tried before MX 20, which acts as a backup. If two records share the same priority, sending servers load-balance between them.

Common records and what to look for

A record — the IPv4 address behind a hostname. Data should be four octets separated by dots.

AAAA record — IPv6 address. Data is eight groups of hexadecimal, separated by colons.

CNAME — an alias. Data must be a fully-qualified domain name ending with a dot. Cannot coexist with other records at the same name, and never at the zone apex.

TXT — free text, usually for SPF, DKIM, or domain verification. Data is one or more quoted strings. SPF looks like "v=spf1 include:… ~all".

NS — nameserver delegation. Each NS record names one authoritative server for the zone; you need at least two.

SOA — Start of Authority. Appears once per zone and carries the primary nameserver, admin email (written with a dot replacing the @), serial number and timing values.

CAA — restricts which certificate authorities may issue TLS certs for your domain. A value like 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" permits only Let’s Encrypt.

Why TTL matters

The TTL (time-to-live) tells resolvers how long to cache a record before fetching a fresh copy. A TTL of 300 means changes propagate globally within five minutes; a TTL of 86,400 means a stale record could circulate for a full day. Before making DNS changes that need to take effect quickly, lower the TTL to 300, wait for the old TTL to expire, make the change, then raise it again.