DNS Record Lookup

How to Look Up DNS Records

1. Enter the domain name: Type the full domain (example.com) for apex records, or a subdomain (api.example.com) for specific entries. For reverse PTR lookups, enter the IP address — the tool converts it to the correct in-addr.arpa format automatically.
2. Choose the record type: Select A for IP address lookups, MX for mail servers, TXT for authentication records, CNAME for aliases, NS for nameservers — or ALL to retrieve every record type in one query for a complete audit.
3. Read the TTL: TTL (Time To Live) tells you how long resolvers cache this record. A 300-second TTL means changes reflect within 5 minutes; 86400 seconds means up to 24 hours. Use this to predict when a DNS change will fully propagate.
4. Verify multiple related records: DNS configuration problems often involve interactions between record types — query A, MX, and TXT together to see the complete picture before making any changes.
5. Export results: Copy individual values for use in configuration files, or export the full JSON output for audit logs and change documentation.

Real-World Use Case

A developer migrates a SaaS company's website from Heroku to Vercel and email from Zoho to Google Workspace simultaneously. After the move, the site loads correctly but inbound email bounces. A DNS record lookup on the domain's MX records reveals they still point to Zoho's mail servers (mx.zoho.com) — the Google Workspace MX records were never added. Separately, querying TXT records shows the SPF record still authorizes only Zoho, causing outbound email from Gmail to soft-fail spam checks. Two record lookups diagnose problems that would otherwise require hours of support tickets and email log analysis to identify.

Best Practices for DNS Record Audits

• Query ALL record types before any migration: Seeing the full DNS picture prevents accidentally overwriting records you weren't aware of — use the ALL query to inventory the zone before making changes.
• Check apex and www separately: The root domain (example.com) and www subdomain have independent record sets — both need verification after hosting changes.
• Lower TTLs 24 hours before migrations: Reduce TTL to 300 seconds the day before a migration window so DNS changes propagate globally within minutes rather than hours.
• Validate CNAME chains terminate at an A record: A CNAME pointing to another CNAME that no longer exists causes silent resolution failures — trace the full chain to confirm it terminates at a valid IP.
• Document pre-migration DNS state: Export the full DNS record set before any change and store it — rolling back a DNS migration is much faster with a complete record of the original configuration.

Performance & Limits

• All standard record types: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, PTR, SRV, CAA — full coverage of operationally significant DNS record types.
• Live resolver results: Uses DNS-over-HTTPS to query public resolvers, returning current authoritative data rather than locally-cached stale records.
• Multiple records returned: Shows all records when multiple exist (e.g., round-robin A records, multiple MX priorities, several TXT records for SPF + DKIM + DMARC).
• No software needed: Runs entirely in the browser — no dig, nslookup, or terminal access required. Works on any device.
• Internationalized domain names: Supports IDN domains in punycode format and any subdomain depth.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming one correct record means all records are correct: A correct A record doesn't mean MX records are right — always query all relevant record types for any configuration change.
• Confusing MX priority ordering: Lower priority values mean higher preference (MX 10 is preferred over MX 20) — verify your primary mail server has the lowest number.
• Using CNAME at the zone apex: The root domain (example.com) cannot have a CNAME per DNS standards — use A records or your provider's ALIAS/ANAME records instead.
• Not accounting for negative caching: A "not found" response is cached for the negative TTL period — adding a missing record won't immediately fix lookups that recently returned NXDOMAIN.

Privacy & Security

• DNS-over-HTTPS queries: All lookups use DoH, preventing network-level surveillance of which domains you query.
• No query logging: Domains queried are not stored or retained beyond your current session.
• Public record data only: DNS records are publicly accessible by design — this tool retrieves the same data any resolver on the internet can access.
• No account required: Look up any record type without registration or personal information.