DNS Lookup — Check Domain DNS Records
Online DNS records checker: A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, NS, SOA. Diagnose DNS servers and analyze domain configuration.
DNS Lookup tool allows you to check all DNS records of any domain. Get information about A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, NS, SOA, CAA and other records for diagnosing DNS settings and troubleshooting domain issues.
DNS Lookup
💡 Tips
- • Use A for checking website IPv4 address
- • Use MX for checking email settings
- • Use TXT for checking SPF, DKIM, DMARC records
- • Use NS for checking domain DNS servers
- • TTL shows how long the record is cached (in seconds)
- • After DNS record changes, propagation can take up to 24-48 hours
What is DNS Lookup?
DNS Lookup is the process of querying domain information from the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS works like the internet's 'phone book', converting human-readable domain names (like example.com) into IP addresses that computers use to communicate with each other.
Every time you visit a website, your browser performs a DNS lookup to find the server's IP address. This happens automatically in milliseconds, making the internet user-friendly and accessible.
DNS Record Types
Different DNS record types serve different purposes:
- A Record — A Record — links domain to IPv4 address (e.g., 192.0.2.1)
- AAAA Record — AAAA Record — links domain to IPv6 address (e.g., 2001:db8::1)
- MX Record — MX Record — specifies mail servers for the domain and their priority
- TXT Record — TXT Record — stores text information (SPF, DKIM, verification)
- CNAME Record — CNAME Record — creates an alias for another domain name
- NS Record — NS Record — specifies authoritative DNS servers for the domain
- SOA Record — SOA Record — contains administrative information about the zone
- CAA Record — CAA Record — defines which certificate authorities can issue SSL certificates
- SRV Record — SRV Record — specifies service locations (e.g., SIP, XMPP)
When to Use DNS Lookup?
- Domain Setup — Verify DNS records are correct after making changes
- Website Migration — Ensure DNS points to the new server
- Email Configuration — Check MX records and SPF/DKIM configuration
- Troubleshooting — Diagnose website or email unavailability issues
- Security Audit — Check CAA records and security TXT records
- DNS Propagation — Track the spread of DNS changes across servers
How DNS Works?
When you enter a domain name in your browser, the following happens:
- Browser checks local DNS cache
- If no record found, query goes to recursive DNS server (usually your ISP's)
- Recursive server queries root DNS server
- Root server directs to top-level domain server (.com, .org, etc.)
- TLD server directs to domain's authoritative DNS server
- Authoritative server returns the requested DNS record
- Result is cached for a specific time (TTL)
What is TTL?
TTL (Time To Live) is the time in seconds that a DNS record can be stored in cache. Short TTL (e.g., 300 seconds = 5 minutes) allows quick DNS record updates but increases load on DNS servers.
Long TTL (e.g., 86400 = 24 hours) reduces server load but slows down the propagation of changes. It's recommended to lower TTL to 300 seconds several days before planned DNS changes.
DNS Propagation
After changing DNS records, it takes time for them to propagate worldwide. This depends on the TTL of the previous record. If TTL was 24 hours, new records may take up to 24 hours to propagate.
During this period, some users may see the old site while others see the new one. This is normal and will resolve once the TTL expires.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC
These are special TXT records for email protection:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework) — SPF (Sender Policy Framework) — specifies which servers can send email on behalf of your domain
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) — DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) — adds digital signature to emails
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) — DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) — defines policy for handling emails that fail SPF/DKIM checks