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DNS Lookup

DNS Lookup

Check DNS records of a given domain (Known as Forward DNS Lookup)


Explore More Useful DNS Tools:


What is DNS ?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is an important protocol part of the web's infrastructure, serving as the Internet's phone book. This protocol is implemented by multiple DNS servers located all over the world.

What is a DNS Server ?

A DNS Server is a server which translates and resolves human-memorable domain names (example.com) into the corresponding numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (93.184.216.34). More technically, a DNS Server stores a lot of information about a given domain name known as DNS Records and responds with answers to queries against its database.

What is a DNS Record ?

A DNS Record is a piece of information about a domain name , such as:
  • A Record (IPv4 address)
  • AAAA Record (IPv6 Address)
  • NS Record (Name Server)
  • MX Record (Mail Exchanger)
  • TXT Record (Text Data)

What is a DNS Lookup / DNSCheck / Nameserver Lookup / NSLookup ?

A DNS Lookup / DNS Check / NameServer Lookup / NSLookup is the process of querying one or multiple Domain Name System (DNS) servers, and obtain all DNS records for a given domain name. This operation is also known as Forward DNS Lookup.

What can a DNS Lookup be used for ?

  • A DNS Lookup is used to find out a given domain DNS records, in order to troubleshoot DNS related problems
  • A DNS Lookup is also necessary to check the propagation of recently changed DNS records accross Worldwide public DNS servers

How can I do an Online DNS Lookup ?

  • Open the Online DNS Lookup Tool
  • Enter a domain in the space provided
  • Click on the "DNS Records Lookup" button
The Online DNS Lookup Tool will then search and find all domain DNS records available in the selected DNS Servers and gives you the result.

How do I run a DNS Lookup in Unix/Linux ?

To perform a DNS Lookup, you must use the linux NSLOOKUP command-line utility:
For a Domain DNS records Lookup: nslookup [domain] (Ex: nslookup google.com)
To get a Domain all available DNS records: nslookup -type=any [domain] (Ex: nslookup -type=any google.com)
Lookup for an A record (IPv4 Address): nslookup -type=a [domain]
Lookup for an AAAA record (IPv6 Address): nslookup -type=aaaa [domain]
Lookup for a NS record (Name Server): nslookup -type=ns [domain]
Lookup for a MX record (Mail Exchange): nslookup -type=mx [domain]
Lookup for a SOA record (Start of authority): nslookup -type=soa [domain]
Lookup for a TXT record (TXT record): nslookup -type=txt [domain]

How do I run a DNS Lookup in Windows ?

To perform a DNS Lookup, you must use the command nslookup
The nslookup command queries the DNS servers in two modes: Interactive mode and noninteractive mode.
For a Domain DNS records Lookup: nslookup [domain] (Ex: nslookup google.com)

What is a DNS Checker / DNS Propagation Checker ?

A DNS Checker is another name used to mean a DNS Lookup Tool

List of Commonly Used DNS Record types:


TypeDescriptionFunction
A IPv4 Address record Returns a 32-bit IPv4 address, most commonly used to map hostnames to an IP address of the host, but it is also used for DNSBLs, storing subnet masks in RFC 1101, etc.
AAAA IPv6 address record Returns a 128-bit IPv6 address, most commonly used to map hostnames to an IP address of the host.
AFSDB AFS database record Location of database servers of an AFS cell. This record is commonly used by AFS clients to contact AFS cells outside their local domain. A subtype of this record is used by the obsolete DCE/DFS file system.
CAA Certification Authority Authorization DNS Certification Authority Authorization, constraining acceptable CAs for a host/domain
CERT Certificate record Stores PKIX, SPKI, PGP, etc.
CNAME Canonical name record Alias of one name to another: the DNS lookup will continue by retrying the lookup with the new name.
DHCID DHCP identifier Used in conjunction with the FQDN option to DHCP
DNAME Delegation name record Alias for a name and all its subnames, unlike CNAME, which is an alias for only the exact name. Like a CNAME record, the DNS lookup will continue by retrying the lookup with the new name.
DNSKEY DNS Key record The key record used in DNSSEC. Uses the same format as the KEY record.
DS Delegation signer The record used to identify the DNSSEC signing key of a delegated zone
IPSECKEY IPsec Key Key record that can be used with IPsec
LOC Location record Specifies a geographical location associated with a domain name
MX Mail exchange record Maps a domain name to a list of message transfer agents for that domain
NAPTR Naming Authority Pointer Allows regular-expression-based rewriting of domain names which can then be used as URIs, further domain names to lookups, etc.
NS Name server record Delegates a DNS zone to use the given authoritative name servers
NSEC Next Secure record Part of DNSSEC—used to prove a name does not exist. Uses the same format as the (obsolete) NXT record.
NSEC3 Next Secure record version 3 An extension to DNSSEC that allows proof of nonexistence for a name without permitting zonewalking
NSEC3PARAM NSEC3 parameters Parameter record for use with NSEC3
PTR PTR Resource Record Pointer to a canonical name. Unlike a CNAME, DNS processing stops and just the name is returned. The most common use is for implementing reverse DNS lookups, but other uses include such things as DNS-SD.
RP Responsible Person Information about the responsible person(s) for the domain. Usually an email address with the @ replaced by a .
RRSIG DNSSEC signature Signature for a DNSSEC-secured record set. Uses the same format as the SIG record.
SOA Start of [a zone of] authority record Specifies authoritative information about a DNS zone, including the primary name server, the email of the domain administrator, the domain serial number, and several timers relating to refreshing the zone.
SRV Service locator Generalized service location record, used for newer protocols instead of creating protocol-specific records such as MX.
SSHFP SSH Public Key Fingerprint Resource record for publishing SSH public host key fingerprints in the DNS System, in order to aid in verifying the authenticity of the host. RFC 6594 defines ECC SSH keys and SHA-256 hashes. See the IANA SSHFP RR parameters registry for details.
TLSA TLSA certificate association A record for DANE. RFC 6698 defines "The TLSA DNS resource record is used to associate a TLS server certificate or public key with the domain name where the record is found, thus forming a 'TLSA certificate association'".
TSIG Transaction Signature Can be used to authenticate dynamic updates as coming from an approved client, or to authenticate responses as coming from an approved recursive name server[13] similar to DNSSEC.
TXT Text record Originally for arbitrary human-readable text in a DNS record. Since the early 1990s, however, this record more often carries machine-readable data, such as specified by RFC 1464, opportunistic encryption, Sender Policy Framework, DKIM, DMARC, DNS-SD, etc.
URI Uniform Resource Identifier Can be used for publishing mappings from hostnames to URIs.