AAAA Record
DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv6 address.
An AAAA-record is a DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv6 address (128-bit). A lookup for example.com may, for example, return 2001:db8::1 as its AAAA-record.
AAAA-records are central in dual-stack networks where both IPv4 and IPv6 are enabled. Clients typically request both A and AAAA answers in parallel, then choose a protocol using the Happy Eyeballs algorithm and the actual support available on the path.
Like A-records, AAAA carries a TTL that determines how long resolvers may cache the answer before querying again.
The difference from an A-record is the protocol version: AAAA points to IPv6 (pronounced "quad-A"), A points to IPv4. They are not substitutes — modern domains normally publish both at the same time.
Points clés
- Maps a domain name to one
IPv6address - Example:
example.com → 2001:db8::1 - 128-bit address vs an A-record's 32-bit
- TTL controls caching by resolvers
- Used together with A-records in dual-stack
- Pronounced "quad-A"