Dns mail exchanger

A DNS Mail Exchanger (MX) record is a type of DNS record that specifies the mail server responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain name. It is used to direct incoming email messages to the correct mail server.

Here's how it works:

  1. When an email message is sent to a domain name, the sending mail server looks up the MX record for that domain in the DNS database.
  2. The MX record points to the mail server responsible for accepting email messages for that domain.
  3. The sending mail server then sends the email message to the mail server specified in the MX record.
  4. The mail server receives the email message and processes it according to its configuration.

MX records are used to ensure that email messages are delivered to the correct mail server for a domain. They are an essential part of the email delivery process and are used by email providers, such as Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook, to deliver email messages to users.

Here are some key aspects of MX records:

  1. Priority: MX records have a priority value, which determines the order in which mail servers are tried when delivering email messages. The lower the priority value, the higher the preference.
  2. Mail server: The mail server specified in the MX record is responsible for accepting email messages for the domain.
  3. Domain: The domain name specified in the MX record is the domain for which the mail server is responsible.
  4. TTL: The TTL (Time To Live) value specifies how long the MX record is cached by DNS resolvers. A lower TTL value means the record is updated more frequently.

Example of an MX record:

IN MX 10 mail.example.com

In summary, MX records are essential for email delivery and specify the mail server responsible for accepting email messages for a domain. They are used by email providers to deliver email messages to users and are an important part of the email infrastructure.