TXT records are a type of DNS record that are used to store arbitrary text data associated with a domain name or a subdomain name. TXT records can be used for various purposes, such as providing human-readable information, verifying domain ownership, or implementing email authentication methods. In this article, we will explain what DNS TXT records are, how they work, and how to configure and use them.
The “TXT” in the TXT record stands for “Text”, which is used to specify the text data that goes along with a domain name or a subdomain name. For example, if you pull the DNS records of example.com, the TXT record may return a value of: “This is an awesome domain!” or something more structured like the SPF configuration. TXT records can hold any text that a domain administrator wants to associate with their domain, as long as it does not exceed the size limit imposed by the DNS server.
DNS TXT records work by enabling a user’s device to retrieve text data from a DNS server, without the user memorizing and typing in the actual domain name. The user’s web browser or other application automatically carries this out by sending a query to a DNS resolver, which is a server that knows how to look up DNS records.
The DNS resolver then contacts the authoritative DNS server for the domain name, which is the server that holds the DNS records for that domain. The authoritative DNS server responds with the TXT record, which contains the text data associated with the domain name. The DNS resolver then returns the text data to the web browser or other application, which can then use it for various purposes.
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