DNS Lookup

What is DNS Lookup?

DNS lookup queries the Domain Name System for any record type a domain publishes — A and AAAA (the IP addresses a domain resolves to), MX (mail servers), NS (nameservers), TXT (SPF, DKIM, verification strings), CNAME (aliases), CAA, SOA and SRV records.

It's the first tool to reach for whenever a domain isn't resolving the way you expect, email isn't arriving, or you need to confirm a DNS change actually took effect at the authoritative source.

How to use the DNS Lookup tool

1 Enter the domain you want to query, e.g. example.com.
2 Select the record type — A for IPv4, AAAA for IPv6, MX for mail servers, TXT for SPF/DKIM/verification records, NS for nameservers, and so on.
3 Run the lookup and read the returned values along with their TTL (how long resolvers are allowed to cache the answer).
4 If a result looks wrong or outdated, check the TTL — a long TTL means older cached answers can persist elsewhere even after you've corrected the record.

When you need this tool

Confirming a domain's A/AAAA record points to the correct server IP after moving hosting providers.
Checking MX records to diagnose why inbound email isn't being delivered to the right mail server.
Verifying TXT records (SPF, DKIM, domain verification strings) are published correctly after configuring email authentication.
Looking up NS records to confirm which nameservers are actually authoritative for a domain.
Spot-checking CNAME, CAA or SRV records when debugging subdomains, certificate issuance restrictions, or service discovery.

How it works

The tool sends a DNS query for the record type you select directly to resolvers, and returns the raw answer exactly as published — the record values and the TTL (time-to-live) that controls how long the answer may be cached by resolvers before they're required to ask again.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I see different results here than on my own computer?

DNS answers are cached at every layer — your OS, browser, router, and ISP resolver can all be holding an older cached copy. This tool queries fresh, so if you changed a record recently, this result reflects what's actually published now, even if your own device shows something older until its cache expires.

What is a TTL and why does it matter?

TTL (Time To Live) is the number of seconds a resolver is allowed to cache a DNS answer before it must ask again. A short TTL (like 300 seconds) means changes propagate faster everywhere; a long TTL (like 86400 seconds / 24 hours) reduces DNS query load but means old answers can linger longer after you make a change.

Why does a domain have multiple A records?

Multiple A records for the same domain is normal — it's commonly used for basic load balancing or redundancy across multiple servers. DNS resolvers will return one or more of the listed addresses, and clients typically try them in order or round-robin between them.

What's the difference between an A record and a CNAME record?

An A record points a domain directly at an IPv4 address. A CNAME points a domain at another domain name instead of an IP, which is useful for aliasing (like pointing www.example.com to example.com) but can't coexist with other records on the same name, unlike A records.

Why is there no AAAA record for a domain that works fine in my browser?

A missing AAAA record just means the domain doesn't have an IPv6 address published — your connection is falling back to the A record (IPv4) instead, which is still the most common setup. It's not an error, just means that domain hasn't been configured for IPv6.