MX record facts for kids
An MX record is like a special entry in the internet's big address book, called the Domain Name System (DNS). It tells computers and software where to send email messages for a specific domain. Think of it as a signpost that points to the right email server.
What is an MX Record?
An MX record stands for "Mail eXchanger" record. Its main job is to guide email to the correct server. When you send an email to someone, like yourfriend@example.com, your computer first looks up the MX record for example.com. This record then tells your computer which server handles email for that domain.
How Email Finds Its Way
Imagine you want to send a letter. You need the correct street address. For email, the MX record provides that "street address" for the email server. It doesn't give the server's exact street address, but its IP address or another domain name that leads to the server.
For example, if you send an email to someone at example.com, the MX record might say: "Send email for example.com to the server named mail.example.com." Then, your computer would find the IP address for mail.example.com and send the email there.
Why Priority Matters
Sometimes, a domain has more than one MX record. This is like having several different routes to the same destination. Each MX record has a "priority" number. A lower number means higher priority.
- The computer trying to send email will always try the server with the lowest priority number first.
- If that server isn't working, it will then try the server with the next lowest priority number.
This system makes email much more reliable. If one email server goes down, your email can still be delivered to another working server. This ensures your messages usually get through, even if there's a problem with one server.
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