DNS Record Lookup

Look up domain DNS records such as A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT, NS, MX and SOA.

For e.g.: ewhois.org, twitter.com, aol.com, google.com, yahoo.com

About DNS Records

DNS (Domain Name System) records provide information about a domain's IP addresses, mail servers and other services.

A

A (Address) maps a domain to an IPv4 address

AAAA

AAAA (Address) maps a domain to an IPv6 address

TXT

TEXT data for verification and security of domain

MX

MX (Mail Exchange) specifies mail servers of domain

CNAME

CNAME (Canonical Name) creates an alias pointing to another domain

NS

NS (Nameserver) specifies authoritative nameservers for the domain

SOA

SOA (Start of Authority) contains administrative information about the zone

DNS Lookup FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about DNS Lookup

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a globally distributed system that converts human-readable domain names into IP addresses. Think of it as the internet’s address book: instead of remembering numeric IPs, you can type a domain name to reach a website. DNS ensures that browsers can locate and connect to the correct servers efficiently.

DNS resolution is the process of translating a domain name into its corresponding IP address. Since computers use IP addresses to communicate, DNS resolution is essential for loading websites.
This process involves several types of DNS servers working together:
  • Recursive DNS server (resolver): Receives the query from your device and checks its cache for the IP address.
  • Root DNS servers: Direct the resolver to the correct top-level domain (TLD) servers.
  • TLD name servers: Provide the authoritative DNS server for the domain.
  • Authoritative DNS servers: Return the actual DNS records, including the IP address, completing the lookup.

When you enter a domain like https://example.com into your browser, DNS resolves it in the following steps:
  1. The browser sends a query to a recursive DNS resolver.
  2. The resolver checks its cache for the domain.
  3. If not cached, it queries root DNS servers.
  4. Root servers guide the resolver to the correct TLD name servers.
  5. TLD servers point to the authoritative DNS servers for the domain.
  6. Authoritative servers return the DNS records, including the IP address.
  7. The resolver caches the results and sends them to your browser so the website can load.

DNS propagation refers to the time it takes for DNS changes to update across all servers globally. When you update DNS records or change name servers, the changes are not instantaneous. Propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on caching and ISP settings. You can use a Global DNS Propagation Checker to track the status of your updates.

When DNS records are updated, they are refreshed across servers and ISP caches worldwide. Due to varying cache times, some users may still see old information while others see the updates immediately. Most DNS changes propagate quickly, but full propagation can take up to 48 hours. You can verify A, AAAA, CNAME, and other records using a DNS lookup tool.

DNS propagation is delayed because DNS caches store records at multiple levels across the internet. When a record is updated, ISPs and devices may still use cached data until the TTL (Time to Live) expires. Once the cache refreshes, updated DNS information is fetched from the authoritative servers, completing the propagation.

Different ISPs, DNS servers, and client devices cache DNS records for varying durations. Until the TTL expires, cached information may still be used, causing delays in seeing DNS updates. Running a DNS health check or flushing your local DNS cache can help resolve propagation issues faster.

If a domain name is invalid or not registered, the DNS server returns an NXDomain (Non-Existent Domain) error. This indicates that the requested domain cannot be found, and the website cannot be accessed.

DNS uses port 53 and can operate over both UDP and TCP:
  • UDP 53: Most common for standard DNS queries. Query packets are limited to 512 bytes.
  • TCP 53: Used for zone transfers or queries exceeding 512 bytes, such as with DNSSEC.
You can test DNS server ports with an online port scanner.

A DNS failure happens when a DNS server cannot resolve a domain name into an IP address. This can occur on private networks or across the internet, preventing users from accessing the desired website or service.

Global DNS servers improve internet speed, reliability, and security by providing fast, trusted DNS resolution worldwide. Top public DNS servers include Google Public DNS, OpenDNS, Quad9, DNS.Watch, Comodo Secure DNS, and Cloudflare, each offering IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
Popular Global DNS server addresses:
  1. Google Public DNS:
    IPv4: 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4
    IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 / 2001:4860:4860::8844
  2. OpenDNS:
    IPv4: 208.67.222.222 / 208.67.220.220
    IPv6: 2620:119:35::35 / 2620:119:53::53
  3. Quad9 (Malware Blocking):
    IPv4: 9.9.9.9 / 149.112.112.112
    IPv6: 2620:fe::fe / 2620:fe::9
  4. DNS.Watch:
    IPv4: 84.200.69.80 / 84.200.70.40
    IPv6: 2001:1608:10:25::1c04:b12f / 2001:1608:10:25::9249:d69b
  5. Comodo Secure DNS:
    IPv4: 8.26.56.26 / 8.20.247.20
  6. Cloudflare:
    IPv4: 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1
    IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1111 / 2606:4700:4700::1001
eWhois.org © 2013-2026