A TXT record is used to store any text-based information that can be grabbed when necessary. It is also possible to put some machine-readable code into TXT records as well.

One domain can have many TXT records and they are commonly used for Sender Policy Framework (SPF) codes that help an email server determine if a message is from a trusted source, as well as ownership verification of a domain.

We most commonly see TXT records used to hold SPF data and verify domain ownership. If you need to verify or provide an SPF record for a specific subdomain, then you will need to use the appropriate hostname in place of the @ symbol.

The rule of thumb for TXT records is that they require an attribute name, followed by an equals sign, followed by a value for the attribute. You can use this to relay any sort of information you’d like using a DNS record, so long as you have a purpose for it, and the record is properly formatted.

Example of a TXT record: