iFastHostingWhat is an SRV record?
A record that names the host and port for one specific service on a domain, rather than answering for the whole domain at once.
An SRV record points a specific service to a host and a port, rather than pointing a whole domain to an address the way an A record does. It exists because some protocols need to know two things a plain A record cannot express on its own: which server handles the service, and which port to actually connect to on that server.
What the record looks like
An SRV record has more fields than most other record types, and the name itself encodes the service and protocol it applies to:
_sip._tcp.yourdomain.com. SRV 10 60 5060 sipserver.yourdomain.com.| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
_sip._tcp | The service (sip) and protocol (tcp), each prefixed with an underscore |
Priority (10) | Lower numbers are tried first, same idea as MX priority |
Weight (60) | Splits traffic between records that share the same priority |
Port (5060) | The port to connect to on the target host |
| Target | The hostname actually running the service |
Where you will actually encounter one
You will almost never write an SRV record from scratch without being told to. The typical situation is a specific service — internet telephony (SIP), some instant messaging systems, and a handful of enterprise directory and collaboration platforms — giving you the exact record to publish as part of its own setup instructions. Your job is to copy every field precisely into your DNS zone, including the underscores and the trailing dots where your control panel expects them.
Because an SRV record carries five separate pieces of information, it is easy to transpose the priority and weight, or to drop the underscore prefix on the service or protocol name. Any of those mistakes makes the record technically present but useless, since the client software looking it up expects that exact structure.
Adding one
In the DNS section of your control panel, add a new record and select SRV as the type. Most panels split the fields into separate boxes — service, protocol, priority, weight, port, and target — rather than asking you to type the whole line as shown above, which makes it easier to get right as long as each value goes in its matching box.
Checking it published correctly
dig +short SRV _sip._tcp.yourdomain.com
nslookup -type=srv _sip._tcp.yourdomain.com # WindowsThe result should list the priority, weight, port, and target exactly as you entered them. If the service you are configuring still cannot find it, double-check the service and protocol names against what the provider's documentation specified — a mismatched name there is by far the most common reason a correctly formatted SRV record still is not found.
SRV sits alongside the more commonly used record types covered in every DNS record type explained, and a related narrow-purpose record worth knowing is covered in what a CAA record is.
Related reading
What each DNS record type actually does, in plain terms, and the handful you will realistically ever need to touch.
How to add a TXT recordA TXT record just holds text for another system to read, most often used to prove domain ownership or authorise a mail sender.
What is a CAA record?A record that restricts which certificate authorities are allowed to issue an SSL certificate for your domain at all.
Can I use a domain I bought somewhere else?Yes — a domain registered anywhere can be hosted with us without ever moving its actual registration.