What Is an AAAA Record in DNS?

TL;DR
An AAAA record (Quad-A) is the IPv6 version of an A record. It maps a domain name (e.g., example.com) to an IPv6 address (e.g., 2001:db8::1), enabling faster, more secure IPv6 connectivity. Most modern sites use both A (IPv4) and AAAA (IPv6) records for dual-stack support.

Look up AAAA records

Enter a domain name to lookup AAAA records

View full DNS lookup tool with advanced options →

How AAAA Records Work

When a client (browser, app) supports IPv6, the DNS resolver queries for the AAAA record and receives the IPv6 address. The connection is then established over IPv6—often faster and with a larger address space than IPv4.

AAAA records support:

Root domains (example.com)
Subdomains (www.example.com, api.example.com)
Multiple IPs for basic round-robin load balancing
Coexistence with A records (dual-stack)

Common Use Cases

Dual-stack websites: serving both IPv4 and IPv6 clients
IPv6-only services: modern cloud, mobile, or internal networks
CDN & cloud integration: pointing to IPv6-capable edge servers
Future-proofing: preparing for increasing IPv6 adoption
Email, APIs, gaming: resolving IPv6 mail servers, endpoints, or game servers

How to Lookup AAAA Records

dig example.com AAAA

nslookup -type=AAAA example.com

Record Format

NAME          TTL    CLASS  TYPE   VALUE
example.com.  3600   IN     AAAA   2001:db8::1

VALUE: Valid IPv6 address (hexadecimal, colon-separated, supports :: compression)
Multiple AAAA records allowed for basic load balancing

Valid Examples

example.com.      AAAA  2001:db8::1
www.example.com.  AAAA  2001:db8::cafe:1234
api.example.com.  AAAA  2001:db8:1234::abcd

Dual-stack example (most common real-world setup):

example.com.  A     192.0.2.1
example.com.  AAAA  2001:db8::1

Multiple AAAA records (round-robin):

example.com.  AAAA  2001:db8::1
example.com.  AAAA  2001:db8::2
example.com.  AAAA  2001:db8::3

AAAA vs A Records

Feature	AAAA	A
Address type	IPv6 (128-bit)	IPv4 (32-bit)
Format	Colon-hex	Dot-decimal
Example	2001:db8::1	192.0.2.1
Address space	~340 undecillion	~4.3 billion
Can exist at root	Yes	Yes
Multiple allowed	Yes	Yes
Load balancing	Yes (basic)	Yes (basic)
Dual-stack support	Yes (with A)	Yes (with AAAA)

→ See also: A Record, CNAME Record

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between A and AAAA records?

- **A** → IPv4 addresses only (e.g., 192.0.2.1)
- **AAAA** → IPv6 addresses only (e.g., 2001:db8::1)

Should I add AAAA records to my site?

Yes, if your server supports IPv6, add AAAA records for better performance and future-readiness. Keep the A record for IPv4 fallback.

Can I have multiple AAAA records?

Yes, just like A records, multiple IPs enable basic round-robin load balancing.

How long do AAAA changes take to propagate?

Same as A records: minutes to 48 hours, depending on TTL and caching.

Can I have A and AAAA on the same name?

Yes, this is the standard dual-stack configuration.

References

RFC 3596

DNS Extensions to Support IP Version 6

RFC 1035

Domain Names - Implementation and Specification

Related: A Record · CNAME Record · DNS Basics