A TXT record is a DNS record that maps a domain name to a string of text. For example, the dnscheck.co TXT record maps to "v=spf1 include:windserve.com include:mattrideout.com include:spf.mandrillapp.com -all".
TXT records are also called "text records," and are defined in RFC 1035.
DNS Check can monitor your TXT records, and notify you if they become unresolvable, or have a change in contents. For example, if your SPF record has a range of IP addresses added or deleted, DNS Check will automatically detect the change the next time it performs a lookup on that SPF record.
Fields
Here are the fields that make up a TXT record:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | A fully qualified domain name (FQDN). | dnscheck.co. |
| Type | The DNS record type. Always set to "TXT". | TXT |
| Value | A string of text | "v=spf1 include:windserve.com include:mattrideout.com include:spf.mandrillapp.com -all" |
SPF Records
The most commonly used type of TXT record is an SPF record, which is used to specify which IP addresses are authorized to send email on behalf of a domain name. An SPF record is used as an example in the next section.
DNS Zone File Examples
Here's an example of how a TXT record which uses the example values from this page's Fields section looks in a DNS zone file:
; Name Type Value
dnscheck.co. TXT "v=spf1 include:windserve.com include:mattrideout.com include:spf.mandrillapp.com -all"
The Name ends in a period in the above example, so it's a fully qualified domain name.
Alternatively, you can create a TXT record that's relative to the zone file's $ORIGIN. Here's an example of how to do this using the example values from this page's Fields section:
$ORIGIN dnscheck.co.
; Name Type Value
@ TXT "v=spf1 include:windserve.com include:mattrideout.com include:spf.mandrillapp.com -all"
Additional Resources
- RFC 1035 - section 3.3.14 (TXT RDATA format) defines the format that TXT records follow.