Which type of DNS server data file includes information about hostnames and IP addresses?

• A. Hosts file
• B. Resource Records
• C. Zone files
• D. Cache files

Answer: (C)

In DNS, the authoritative mappings for a domain are stored in a zone file. A zone file contains resource records such as A records that map hostnames to IP addresses (and other records like AAAA for IPv6, CNAME, MX, etc.). This is the file the DNS server uses to answer queries for that zone, making it the official repository for host-to-IP mappings within that domain.

The hosts file is a local, non-DNS file used by individual systems to override name resolution, not the DNS server’s data store. Resource records are the individual entries inside a zone file, not the file type itself. Cache files hold temporary resolution results on resolvers, not authoritative mappings.