BYTETOOLS

DNS Record Generator

Generate correctly formatted zone-file lines for A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SRV and CAA records — with FQDN dots, priorities and TXT chunking handled for you.

Zone-file record

www.example.com. 3600 IN A 192.0.2.1

Names ending in a dot are absolute (FQDN) — the trailing dot matters in zone files. This tool formats records; it never queries DNS.

What is the DNS Record Generator?

The DNS Record Generator produces syntactically correct zone-file lines for the eight record types you actually use: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SRV and CAA.

  • Eight record types with per-type validated fields
  • Automatic trailing-dot handling for absolute (FQDN) names
  • TXT values over 255 characters split into quoted chunks automatically
  • SRV priority/weight/port/target ordering with name-pattern validation
  • CAA issue/issuewild/iodef with critical-flag support
  • 100% client-side — formats records, never queries DNS

How to use the DNS Record Generator

  1. 1

    Pick the record type — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SRV or CAA.

  2. 2

    Fill in the name, TTL and the type-specific fields shown.

  3. 3

    Fix anything the validator flags — each error says exactly what is wrong.

  4. 4

    Copy the finished zone-file line and add it to your zone or DNS console.

About the DNS Record Generator

The DNS Record Generator produces syntactically correct zone-file lines for the eight record types you actually use: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SRV and CAA. It handles the details people get wrong — trailing dots on absolute names, MX priorities, SRV's priority/weight/port ordering, CAA flags and automatic splitting of long TXT values into 255-character quoted strings.

Each type gets its own validated inputs: A records demand a real IPv4, AAAA a real IPv6, MX a hostname (never an IP), and SRV names must follow the _service._proto pattern. Helpful notes appear with the output — like the rule that a CNAME cannot coexist with other records.

It is a formatter and teacher, not a DNS client: nothing is queried or published. Everything runs 100% locally in your browser, and the finished line is ready to paste into a BIND zone file or adapt to any DNS provider's console.

Frequently asked questions

Why do DNS names in zone files end with a dot?

The trailing dot marks a name as absolute (a full FQDN). Without it, the zone's origin is appended — forgetting the dot on an MX or CNAME target is the classic bug that produces names like mail.example.com.example.com. This generator adds the dot to targets automatically.

Why is my TXT record split into multiple quoted strings?

A single character-string in DNS holds at most 255 bytes. Longer values — DKIM keys are the usual case — must be published as several quoted strings that resolvers concatenate back together. The generator splits and quotes the chunks for you, with proper escaping of quotes and backslashes.

What is the difference between an A record and a CNAME?

An A record maps a name directly to an IPv4 address, while a CNAME says a name is an alias for another name, inheriting whatever records the target has. A name with a CNAME may have no other records, which is why the zone apex (example.com itself) can never be a CNAME.

What do priority and weight mean in MX and SRV records?

MX priority orders mail servers — lower numbers are tried first, equal numbers share load. SRV has both: priority works the same way, and weight distributes traffic proportionally among targets of equal priority. A weight of 0 means the target only gets traffic when it is the sole option at that priority.

What is a CAA record and should I have one?

A CAA record whitelists which certificate authorities may issue TLS certificates for your domain — for example issue "letsencrypt.org". CAs are required to check it before issuing, so it is a cheap, sensible hardening step for any domain that serves HTTPS.

Does this tool publish the record to my DNS?

No. It generates the correctly formatted line entirely in your browser; publishing happens in your DNS provider's console or zone file. Providers usually split the line into separate name/TTL/value fields — the format shown maps onto those directly.

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