What Are Pointer Records and Why Should You Create Them? ©

In this article, we are going to learn all the basics regarding Pointer records.

Let’s get started!

What Are Pointer Records?

A pointer (PTR) record is a form of Domain Name System (DNS) record that resolves an IP address to a domain or hostname. Many of the most prominent email providers, like Gmail and Microsoft, need the usual technical configuration of PTR records, which are utilized for the reverse DNS lookup.

We can also define it in a way that PTR records are utilized for DNS (Domain Name System) reverse lookups. For every PTR record, there should be a corresponding A record. A viable alternative is to use a reverse DNS setup for a mail server.

While a hostname is pointed to an IP address in the domain DNS zone, employing the reverse zone allows one to point an IP address to a hostname. A PTR Record must be used in the Reverse DNS zone. The PTR Record converts an IP address to a hostname or domain.

Difference Between Pointer record and A record

The PTR record and the A record are comparable to the two different sides of the same coin. Forward DNS resolution is handled via the A records. To find the correct IP addresses, they resolve domain names. PTR records operate in the exact opposite manner. They translate hostnames from IP addresses.

Why Is A PTR Record Necessary?

PTR records offer assurance that the specified hostname or domain is associated with the IP address. Because most mail providers refuse or label spam messages received by mail servers without appropriate reverse DNS setup.

The PTR entries are a must for outgoing mail servers. Given that, all mail providers work to prevent spam out of their client’s inboxes, this has essentially become standard practice.

To prevent any potential email filtrations, it is usually a good idea to configure Reverse DNS correctly.

Primary Applications For PTR Records

PTR records are frequently used for:

To determine whether the associated IP addresses are likely to be utilized by legitimate email servers, some email anti-spam filters use reverse DNS to examine the domain names of email addresses.
An incorrectly configured or absent PTR record may be the source of email delivery troubles since anti-spam filters carry out these checks. Email providers may prohibit all emails from a domain if it has no PTR record or if the PTR record includes the incorrect domain.
System logs normally only contain IP addresses; however, a reverse DNS can transform these into domain names to produce more legible system logs.

Why Do You Need Pointer (PTR) Records?

PTR records help minimize latency and avoid issues. Email is a critical component of the business. Thus, it is essential to prevent any problems in their tracks. PTR records are advised as part of Google’s best practices.

PTR records not only contribute to faster email processing by enabling that verification, but they also give integrity. Your emails should never bounce back or end up as spam.

Your credibility suffers, and your clients will question why your emails didn’t arrive in their inboxes. PTR records are easy to set up. Hosting companies let you manage your DNS records. On certain hosting cPanel plans, TezHost offers simple DNS record management.

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