What is mail exchanger

A Mail Exchanger (MX) record is a type of DNS (Domain Name System) record that specifies the mail server responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain name. In other words, it's a record that tells the world where to send email messages intended for a particular domain.

Here's how it works:

1. When you send an email to [email protected], your email client looks up the MX record for the "example.com" domain.
2. The MX record points to the mail server responsible for accepting email messages for that domain. This is usually a mail server hosted by the domain's registrar, a third-party email service provider, or the domain's own mail server.
3. The mail server receives the email message and processes it according to its configuration.

MX records are essential for email delivery because they allow email clients to route email messages to the correct mail server. Without an MX record, email messages would not be delivered to the intended recipient.

Here are some key aspects of MX records:

• Priority: Each MX record has a priority value, which determines the order in which mail servers are tried. The lower the priority value, the more preferred the mail server is.
• Mail server: The MX record specifies the hostname or IP address of the mail server responsible for accepting email messages.
• TTL: The TTL (Time To Live) value determines how long the MX record remains valid before it needs to be updated.

Common scenarios where MX records are used:

1. Domain registration: When you register a domain, you typically set up an MX record to point to the mail server provided by your registrar or a third-party email service provider.
2. Email hosting: If you host your own email server, you need to set up an MX record to point to your mail server.
3. Email forwarding: If you want to forward email messages from one domain to another, you can set up an MX record to point to the mail server responsible for accepting email messages for the target domain.

In summary, MX records are crucial for email delivery, as they specify the mail server responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain name.