What is an MX Record?

DNS record that specifies mail servers responsible for accepting email for a domain.

Detailed Explanation

MX (Mail Exchange) records direct email traffic to the correct mail servers. Each MX record has a priority value; lower numbers indicate higher priority. If the primary mail server is unavailable, the sender tries the next priority server. This system provides redundancy and load distribution for email delivery.

Examples

  • example.com MX 10 mail1.example.com
  • example.com MX 20 mail2.example.com (backup)
  • Multiple MX records for Gmail: 5 aspmx.l.google.com, 10 alt1.aspmx.l.google.com