Network

DNS Lookup

Query DNS records for any domain — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CAA, SRV, and PTR — through a resolver and see the TTL returned with each record. Run a reverse lookup to find the PTR hostname behind an IP, or trace a name from the root servers down to the authoritative answer to see the whole delegation path. Pick your resolver, copy the result, and export it as JSON. It is free and needs no sign-up.

  • Query A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CAA, SRV, and PTR records with their TTLs
  • Reverse-lookup an IPv4 or IPv6 address to its PTR hostname
  • Trace the delegation chain from the root servers to the authoritative nameserver, like dig +trace
  • Choose the upstream resolver — Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, OpenDNS, or your own
  • Copy results as text or export the raw response as JSON

Pick one or more types to query. With none selected the lookup cannot run.

Enter a domain, choose the record types you want, and press Look up. The records and their TTLs will appear here, grouped by type.

Overview

One page that answers what a name resolves to, which host is behind an address, and how the resolution is delegated across the DNS hierarchy.

  1. 01

    Records with real TTLs

    Query the record types you care about and read the values alongside the TTL each one was served with, grouped by type for quick scanning.

  2. 02

    Every common record type

    A and AAAA for addresses, MX for mail, TXT for SPF, DKIM, and verification, NS and SOA for the zone, CNAME, CAA, SRV, and PTR — all in one place.

  3. 03

    Reverse (PTR) lookup

    Turn an IPv4 or IPv6 address back into the hostname its operator published. Many mail systems use it as one signal when assessing a sender.

  4. 04

    Trace from the root

    Follow the delegation from the root servers to the TLD to the authoritative nameserver, so you can see exactly where an answer comes from.

  5. 05

    Choose your resolver

    Send the query through Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, OpenDNS, or a resolver you name, to compare answers or check propagation.

  6. 06

    Copy and export

    Copy the current result as easy-to-paste plain text, or export the full response as JSON for a script or a ticket.

How to use

Use one of three modes to look up records, reverse an IP, or trace a name from the root servers.

  1. 01

    Stay on Records, type a domain such as example.com, and choose the record types you want.

  2. 02

    Press Look up, or click an example, to see the records grouped by type with their TTLs.

  3. 03

    Switch to Reverse and enter an IP address to find the PTR hostname it maps back to.

  4. 04

    Switch to Trace and enter a domain to watch the resolution walk from the root servers to the authoritative answer.

  5. 05

    Pick a different resolver if you want to compare answers, then copy the current result or export it as JSON.

Details

DNS is the first thing to check when a site, an email, or a certificate misbehaves, so the tool keeps records, reverse lookups, and the full trace on one screen.

  • Record values come with the TTL they were served with, so you can see how long a stale answer may linger in caches
  • MX, TXT, and CAA lookups help check mail delivery, SPF, DMARC, DKIM selector records, and certificate issuance
  • Underscore-prefixed names such as _dmarc.example.com and _sip._tcp.example.com are supported for service and policy records
  • Reverse lookups surface the PTR record that mail servers and logs rely on to name an address
  • Trace mode shows each delegation hop, making it clear whether a problem is at the registrar, the zone, or the record
  • Switching resolvers lets you compare what different networks currently return for the same name

Use cases

Whenever a domain, an email, or a TLS certificate does not behave, a quick DNS lookup usually points at the cause.

  1. Debug a site that will not load

    Confirm that the A and AAAA records point where you expect before you go hunting through the server or the CDN.

  2. Fix email deliverability

    Check MX and TXT at the root domain for mail routing and SPF, then query TXT at _dmarc.yourdomain and selector._domainkey.yourdomain for DMARC and DKIM.

  3. Check a migration or DNS change

    After you update a record, query it through several resolvers to watch the new value propagate and the old TTL expire.

  4. Verify a certificate can be issued

    Inspect the CAA record to confirm which authorities are allowed to issue certificates for the domain.

  5. Investigate a mail server or IP

    Run a reverse lookup on a sending IP to see the PTR hostname it presents, one signal among several for a mail relay.

  6. Diagnose a broken delegation

    Trace the name from the root to find the exact hop where the chain stops, whether the NS records are wrong or the zone is unreachable.

See also

Once a name resolves to an address, look up where that IP is and which network runs it with the IP Address Lookup. To work out the range and mask of the network the address sits in, open the Subnet Calculator. And to pull a hostname out of a full URL before you resolve it, use the URL Tools.

Best practices

DNS answers are cached and can differ between resolvers, so read a result as a point-in-time snapshot rather than a permanent fact.

  • Read the TTL: a large value means an old answer can stay cached for a long time after you change the record.
  • When checking a change, query more than one resolver — propagation is really just each cache expiring on its own schedule.
  • For email, check MX with the relevant TXT names: SPF is usually at the root, DMARC at _dmarc, and DKIM at selector._domainkey.
  • A missing PTR record is normal for many addresses and is not proof of anything on its own.
  • Use Trace to tell a registrar or delegation problem apart from a bad record inside an otherwise healthy zone.
  • Export to JSON when you need to attach the exact answer to a ticket, instead of re-running the lookup later.

Limitations

This tool queries DNS through a resolver and reports what comes back. It does not change records or guarantee what every network in the world sees.

  • Answers reflect what the chosen resolver returns now; a different resolver or a later moment can return something else.
  • Records are read-only. The tool queries DNS; it cannot create, edit, or delete anything in a zone.
  • A reverse lookup only returns a PTR record if the address operator has published one, which many have not.
  • DNSSEC validation status is not shown; the tool reports the records, not whether they are cryptographically signed.
  • Every lookup is sent to the DevKitLab DNS service, which queries the resolver on your behalf.
  • Trace follows the standard delegation; unusual setups with split-horizon or private roots will not match what you see internally.

FAQ

Common questions about record types, propagation, reverse lookups, and how the trace works.

What is a DNS lookup?

A DNS lookup asks the Domain Name System what records a name has — most often the A or AAAA address a domain points to, but also MX for mail, TXT for policies, and more. This tool sends that query to a resolver and shows you the records it returns, each with its TTL.

Which DNS record types can I query?

A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CAA, SRV, and PTR. Select any combination in Records mode; with none selected the lookup cannot run. Underscore names such as _dmarc.example.com work too; DMARC, DKIM, and SRV records are queried through names like these.

How do I check MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records?

Query the domain with MX selected to see its mail servers, and with TXT selected to read SPF and DMARC (DMARC lives at _dmarc.yourdomain.com). DKIM is a TXT record at a selector name like selector._domainkey.yourdomain.com.

What is a reverse DNS (PTR) lookup?

A reverse lookup starts from an IP address and asks for its PTR record — the hostname the operator published for it. Mail servers often check it as one signal of a legitimate sender. Many addresses, especially home connections, have no PTR record at all.

What does the trace show me?

Trace resolves the name the way a resolver does from scratch: it starts at the root servers, follows the delegation to the TLD servers, then to the authoritative nameservers, and finally shows the answer. It is the browser equivalent of dig +trace, useful for finding a broken delegation.

Why do different resolvers return different answers?

DNS is cached at every level, and each resolver caches on its own TTL clock. Right after a change, some resolvers still serve the old record while others already have the new one. Querying a few resolvers is how you watch a change propagate.

What is a TTL and why does it matter?

TTL (time to live) is how many seconds a resolver may cache a record before asking again. A high TTL makes lookups fast but means a change takes longer to reach everyone. Lower the TTL before a planned migration so the switch propagates quickly.

Can I choose which DNS server answers?

Yes. In Records and Reverse modes you can send the query through Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Google (8.8.8.8), Quad9, OpenDNS, or a resolver you type in. Trace always starts from the root servers, so it does not use a chosen resolver.

Is this DNS lookup free?

Yes. It is free to use and needs no account. Enter a domain or an IP, pick your record types or mode, and read the answer.

Does it support IPv6 and internationalized domains?

Yes. AAAA records and IPv6 reverse lookups both work. Internationalized domain names are converted to their Punycode (xn--) form in your browser before the query is sent, because DNS itself only carries ASCII labels — so you can type the name either way and get the same answer.

Related tools

Once a name resolves, keep working with the same host: look up where its IP is, or compute the subnet it belongs to.