DNSLink

DNSLink uses DNS TXT records (opens new window) to map a DNS name, like ipfs.io (opens new window), to an IPFS address. Because you can edit your DNS records, you can use them to always point to the latest version of an object in IPFS. Since DNSLink uses DNS records, you can assign names, paths, and sub-domains that are easy to type, read, and remember.

A DNSLink address looks like an IPNS address, but it uses a DNS name in place of a hashed public key:

/ipns/example.org

Just like normal IPFS addresses, they can include links to other files — or other types of resources that IPFS supports, like directories and symlinks:

/ipns/example.org/media/

Publish content path

Publish the mapping as DNS TXT record using your hostname prefixed with _dnslink.

This not only makes DNSLink lookup more efficient by only returning relevant TXT records but enables you to improve the security of an automated setup or delegate control over your DNSLink records to a third party without giving away complete control over the original DNS zone.

For example, docs.ipfs.io (opens new window) loads because a TXT record exists for _dnslink.docs.ipfs.io. If you look up the DNS records for _dnslink.docs.ipfs.io, you'll see the DNSLink entry:

dig +noall +answer TXT \_dnslink.docs.ipfs.io
> \_dnslink.docs.ipfs.io. 30 IN TXT "dnslink=/ipfs/bafybeieenxnjdjm7vbr5zdwemaun4sw4iy7h4imlvvl433q6gzjg6awdpq"

Resolve DNSLink name

When an IPFS client or node attempts to resolve an address, it looks for a TXT record that is prefixed with dnslink=. The rest can be an /ipfs/ link (as in the example below), or /ipns/, or even a link to another DNSLink.

dnslink=/ipfs/<CID for your content here>

For example, let's go back to when we looked up the DNS records for _dnslink.docs.ipfs.io and saw its DNSLink entry:

$ dig +noall +answer TXT _dnslink.docs.ipfs.io
_dnslink.docs.ipfs.io.  34  IN  TXT "dnslink=/ipfs/QmVMxjouRQCA2QykL5Rc77DvjfaX6m8NL6RyHXRTaZ9iya"

Based on that, this address:

/ipns/docs.ipfs.io/introduction/

Will get you this block:

/ipfs/QmVMxjouRQCA2QykL5Rc77DvjfaX6m8NL6RyHXRTaZ9iya/introduction/

Further Resources

For a complete guide to DNSLink — including tutorials, usage examples, and FAQs — check out dnslink.io (opens new window).