DNS Records Lookup
Check DNS records for any domain name
Enter a domain name without http:// or www (e.g., example.com)
What are DNS Records?
DNS (Domain Name System) records are instructions that live in authoritative DNS servers and provide information about a domain including what IP address is associated with that domain and how to handle requests for that domain.
Enter a domain name and click "Search"
DNS records will be displayed here
About DNS Records
DNS (Domain Name System) records are instructions that live in authoritative DNS servers and provide information about a domain including what IP address is associated with that domain and how to handle requests for that domain. These records are essential for routing traffic correctly across the internet.
Common DNS Record Types
| Record Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | Maps a domain to an IPv4 address | example.com. IN A 192.0.2.1 |
| AAAA | Maps a domain to an IPv6 address | example.com. IN AAAA 2001:db8::1 |
| CNAME | Creates an alias for another domain name | www.example.com. IN CNAME example.com. |
| MX | Specifies mail servers for the domain | example.com. IN MX 10 mail.example.com. |
| TXT | Stores text information (often for verification) | example.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all" |
| NS | Specifies authoritative name servers | example.com. IN NS ns1.example.com. |
| SOA | Start of Authority - administrative information | example.com. IN SOA ns1.example.com. admin.example.com. ( 2023010101 ; serial 3600 ; refresh 1800 ; retry 604800 ; expire 86400 ; minimum TTL ) |
| CAA | Specifies which Certificate Authorities can issue certificates | example.com. IN CAA 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
Why Check DNS Records?
- Troubleshooting - Diagnose website or email delivery issues related to DNS configuration
- Verification - Confirm that DNS changes have propagated correctly
- Security - Check for proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to prevent email spoofing
- Migration - Ensure all necessary records are captured before moving to a new DNS provider
- Analysis - Investigate how other websites have configured their DNS for reference
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do DNS changes take to propagate?
DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on the TTL (Time To Live) values of your DNS records and how quickly DNS servers around the world update their caches. Lower TTL values result in faster propagation, but may increase DNS server load.
What's the difference between an A record and a CNAME record?
An A record maps a domain directly to an IP address, while a CNAME record creates an alias that points to another domain name. For example, an A record might map example.com to 192.0.2.1, while a CNAME record might map www.example.com to example.com (which then needs its own A record).
Why are MX records important?
MX (Mail Exchange) records tell email servers where to deliver email for your domain. Without proper MX records, email delivery to your domain will fail. MX records include a priority value (lower numbers have higher priority) to determine which mail server should be tried first.
What are TXT records used for?
TXT records store text information in the DNS and are commonly used for domain verification (proving you own a domain), SPF records (specifying which servers can send email from your domain), DKIM records (providing cryptographic keys for email authentication), and DMARC policies (instructing receiving servers how to handle authentication failures).