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Tool

DNS Lookup

A DNS lookup queries the Domain Name System for the records published under a domain name: A and AAAA records map the name to IP addresses, MX records route its email, NS records name its authoritative servers, and TXT records hold verification and SPF data. Enter a domain below to query them all at once.

What Is a DNS Lookup?

DNS is the internet's phone book: it translates human-readable names like example.com into machine-usable records. A DNS lookup asks the domain's nameservers which records are currently published. Each record type answers a different question:

  • A: the IPv4 address(es) the name points to.
  • AAAA: the IPv6 address(es) the name points to.
  • CNAME: an alias that redirects the name to another hostname.
  • MX: the mail servers that accept email for the domain, by priority.
  • NS: the authoritative nameservers that host the domain's zone.
  • TXT: free-form text used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and site verification.
  • SOA: zone metadata (primary nameserver, admin contact and serial number).
  • CAA: which certificate authorities may issue TLS certificates for the domain.

Every record also carries a TTL (time to live): the number of seconds resolvers may cache the answer before asking again.

Common Uses

  • Verify DNS changes: after editing records at your registrar or DNS host, confirm the new values are live and watch propagation as old TTLs expire.
  • Debug email delivery: check that MX records point at the right mail servers and that your SPF policy is published as a TXT record.
  • Find the nameservers: the NS records show which DNS provider actually serves a domain, the first thing to check when migrating or troubleshooting.

Need the registrar and expiry date instead? Run a WHOIS lookup →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a DNS lookup?
A DNS lookup queries the Domain Name System for the records published under a domain name: the IP addresses it points to (A/AAAA), its mail servers (MX), its nameservers (NS) and its text records (TXT). It shows exactly what resolvers around the world see when they resolve the domain.
What is TTL in DNS?
TTL (time to live) is the number of seconds a resolver may cache a DNS record before it must ask the authoritative nameserver again. A TTL of 300 means a change can take up to five minutes to be seen everywhere; a TTL of 86400 means up to a day.
Why do TXT records matter for email?
Email authentication lives in TXT records: SPF lists the servers allowed to send mail for the domain, DKIM publishes the public key that signs messages, and DMARC tells receivers what to do when a message fails those checks. Missing or broken TXT records are a common reason mail lands in spam.
How long does DNS propagation take?
Until every cached copy of the old record expires, which means up to the record's previous TTL. In practice most resolvers pick up a change within minutes to a few hours; the "24–48 hours" often quoted is a worst case, mostly relevant to nameserver (NS) changes.
What's the difference between A and AAAA records?
Both map a name to an IP address: an A record holds an IPv4 address (like 93.184.216.34), while an AAAA record holds an IPv6 address (like 2606:2800:220:1::). A domain can publish both, and modern clients prefer the AAAA record when they have IPv6 connectivity.
Do you log the domains I look up?
No. Queries run server-side through our resolver and the results are returned straight to you; we do not log or store the domains you look up.

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