Glossary
TXT Record
A TXT record stores arbitrary text in DNS, widely used for domain verification and email authentication policies like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
A TXT record holds free-form text in the DNS zone. Originally for human notes, it has become the standard place to publish machine-readable policy and verification strings.
Common uses
- Email authentication —
spf,dkim, anddmarcpolicies are all published as TXT records. - Domain ownership verification — services ask you to add a unique TXT string to prove you control the domain.
- Configuration discovery — some tools read settings from specially named TXT records.
Example
example.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"
Why it matters for hosting
TXT records are how you connect your domain to third-party services without changing where it points. Because anything can be stored, syntax matters: a malformed spf or dkim TXT record silently breaks email authentication while the rest of the domain keeps working.
See also
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF is a DNS TXT record listing which servers may send email for your domain, helping receivers reject forged messages and spam.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM cryptographically signs outgoing email so receivers can verify it truly came from your domain and was not altered in transit.
DMARC
DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM to tell receivers how to handle mail that fails authentication and sends you reports on abuse of your domain.
MX Record
An MX record is the DNS entry that directs a domain’s email to the correct mail servers, with priority values choosing primary and backups.
DNS (Domain Name System)
DNS is the internet phone book that translates human-readable domain names like example.com into the IP addresses computers use to connect.