What is an AAAA record?

An AAAA record maps a domain name to an IPv6 address, exactly the same role an A record plays for IPv4. The name is a slightly odd joke rather than an abbreviation of anything: an IPv6 address is four times the length of an IPv4 one, so the record type that quadruples "A" became "AAAA".

Why two record types for the same job

IPv4 addresses are written as four numbers, like 203.0.113.10, and the total supply of them ran out years ago because the format simply cannot hold enough unique addresses for every device on the internet. IPv6 was designed to fix that permanently, using a much longer address written in hexadecimal groups separated by colons:

2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

Because the two address formats look nothing alike, they each need their own record type. A resolver asking "what is the IPv4 address" queries A; a resolver asking "what is the IPv6 address" queries AAAA. Neither record substitutes for the other.

Do you need one?

Only if the server behind your domain has an IPv6 address to publish. Most shared hosting is reachable over IPv4 only, in which case there is nothing to put in an AAAA record and none is needed — visitors on IPv6-only connections are still routed in via IPv4 through their provider's own translation, so the site is not unreachable without one. If your hosting does provide an IPv6 address, adding the matching AAAA record lets IPv6-capable visitors connect directly rather than through that extra translation step.

Adding one

In the DNS section of your control panel, add a new record, select AAAA as the type, and enter:

• The name — @ for the bare domain, or a subdomain name.
• The value — the full IPv6 address for your server, copied exactly from your hosting welcome email or control panel. Never reuse an IPv6 address from another guide or account; it will belong to a different server.

Checking what is published

dig +short AAAA yourdomain.com
nslookup -type=aaaa yourdomain.com    # Windows

An empty result simply means no AAAA record exists yet, which is a perfectly normal, working state for a domain that only needs IPv4. See how to add or edit an A record for the IPv4 side of the same setup, and every DNS record type explained for how AAAA fits alongside the rest.