DNS Lookup, Check Any Domain's Records

Query the live DNS records for any domain: A/AAAA addresses, MX mail servers, TXT verification strings, NS delegations, and CNAME aliases. The first tool to reach for when a domain 'does not work'.

How to use

  1. Enter the domain name (e.g. example.com, no https:// prefix).
  2. Choose the record type, or query the common set at once.
  3. Click Run to see the live records with their TTLs.

DNS is the internet's phone book: it maps names humans use to records machines need. Each record type answers a different question. A records give a domain's IPv4 address, AAAA its IPv6. MX records name the servers that accept its email, with priorities. TXT records carry arbitrary text, today mostly SPF, DKIM, and DMARC email-authentication policies plus domain-ownership verification strings for services like Google Search Console. NS records say which nameservers are authoritative for the zone, and CNAME records alias one name to another.

Most 'my site is down' and 'my email is not arriving' investigations start with a DNS lookup: does the A record point where you think? Did the MX records survive that registrar migration? Is the SPF TXT record present and syntactically sane?

Two gotchas worth knowing. First, TTL (time to live) governs caching, resolvers may serve an old record for up to its TTL seconds after you change it, which is why DNS changes 'take time to propagate' (see the propagation checker for a worldwide view). Second, a CNAME cannot coexist with other records at the same name, which is why apex domains (example.com without www) often cannot be CNAMEd to a load balancer and need ALIAS/ANAME workarounds.

Examples

A record
Input:  example.com (type A)
Output: example.com.  3600  IN  A  93.184.215.14
NS records
Input:  example.com (type NS)
Output: example.com.  86400  IN  NS  a.iana-servers.net.
example.com.  86400  IN  NS  b.iana-servers.net.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between A and CNAME records?

An A record maps a name directly to an IPv4 address. A CNAME aliases one name to another name, which is then resolved. CNAMEs are convenient for pointing www at a hosting provider, but cannot be used at a zone apex alongside other records.

Why did my DNS change not take effect?

Caching. Every record has a TTL, and resolvers worldwide serve their cached copy until it expires. Lower the TTL before a planned migration, and use a propagation checker to watch the new value spread.

What should be in my TXT records?

Typically SPF (which servers may send your mail), DKIM keys, a DMARC policy, and verification strings for services proving domain ownership. Missing SPF/DMARC is a leading cause of mail landing in spam.

Which resolver does this tool query?

The server's configured resolver, live at request time, so you see what the public internet currently sees, not a stale cache from your own ISP.

Related tools

DNS Propagation Checker
Reverse DNS Lookup
WHOIS Lookup
Domain Availability Checker
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