Skip to content

What is an AAAA record?

Last updated 2 min read DNS

Article Summary

  • An AAAA record maps a web domain to an IPv6 address, serving the same purpose as an A record, which supports only IPv4.
  • Use a AAAA record if you want your domain to support IPv6 users or need IPv6 for business compliance or security reasons.
  • Some ISPs prioritize IPv6 traffic, so a AAAA record can give faster connections.
  • AAAA records are available for all No-IP customers.
  • IPv6 addresses use 8 sets of values from 0000 to FFFF, giving a much larger address space than IPv4.

What is an AAAA Record?

An AAAA (pronounced quad A) record is a type of DNS record that maps a web domain to an IPv6 address.

For example:

dig ns1.no-ip.com AAAA
;; ANSWER SECTION:
ns1.no-ip.com. 86400 IN AAAA 2620:0:2e60::33

AAAA records serve the same purpose as A records. The difference is that A records only support IPv4.

If you want your domain to support IPv6 users, you can use a AAAA record. If you manage a domain for a business, you may need IPv6 (and a AAAA record) for compliance or security reasons. Some ISPs prioritize IPv6 traffic, making AAAA records a tool for faster connections.

AAAA records are available for all No-IP customers.

What is IPv6?

Currently, IP addresses are based on version 4 of the internet protocol, where there are 4 sets of numbers ranging from 0-255. For example:

127.198.30.245

IPv6 has a much larger address space where there are 8 sets ranging from 0000-FFFF.
For example:

2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:1428:57ab

IPv6 also has protocol enhancements for security as well as many other features.

IPV6 adoption is increasing as we run out of IPV4 address space and will become more relevant in the coming years.

For more information on IPv6 please take a look at the IPV6 wikipedia page.