Check all DNS records for any domain instantly — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, NS and SOA. Real-time results, no sign-up needed.
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet’s address book. Computers communicate using numerical IP addresses, but people remember names. DNS is the distributed global database that translates human-readable domain names like “example.com” into the IP addresses routers and servers use to direct traffic. Every time you load a website, send an email, or connect to any online service, at least one DNS lookup runs automatically in the background before the connection is even established.
DNS is hierarchical and distributed. At the top sit the root servers, below them the top-level domain servers (for .com, .org, .uk and so on), and below those the authoritative nameservers for individual domains. This hierarchy makes the system both resilient and globally scalable. Once you have resolved a domain’s IP, you can check the full location, ISP and network details of that IP using our IP Lookup tool.
This tool performs a live query against the authoritative DNS servers for whatever domain you enter and returns all publicly available record types: A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, NS, TXT and SOA. Results are fetched in real time on every lookup — there is no caching on our end, so you always see the current state of a domain’s DNS configuration. The resolved IP addresses shown in the summary strip are clickable and link directly to our IP Lookup tool for instant geolocation and ISP details.
Each record type serves a specific, distinct function:
TTL (Time To Live) is the number of seconds that resolvers and browsers are permitted to cache a DNS record before re-querying the authoritative nameserver. A TTL of 300 means records can be cached for 5 minutes; a TTL of 86400 means 24 hours. High TTLs reduce DNS query load and speed up resolution for end users. Low TTLs mean record changes propagate across the internet faster.
If you are planning a server migration, lower the TTL to 300 seconds at least 24–48 hours before making the change. This ensures old cached records expire quickly after the cut-over. Once the new records are confirmed working, raise the TTL back up. After any DNS change, verify the HTTPS certificate on the new server is correctly configured with our SSL Checker.
DNS propagation is the process by which a record change spreads from the authoritative nameserver through the global network of resolvers and caches. When you update an A record, the change does not take effect everywhere simultaneously — resolvers around the world continue serving the old record until their cached copy expires based on the TTL. Propagation time is primarily determined by the previous TTL value. The commonly cited “up to 48 hours” figure reflects worst-case scenarios with very high TTLs or non-compliant resolvers.
To verify a DNS change has taken effect, run a fresh lookup here — this tool always queries the authoritative nameservers directly rather than relying on cached data. For an overall health check on a domain, combine this with a WHOIS Lookup to confirm the registration has not expired.
When someone sends email to user@example.com, the sending server performs a DNS lookup for example.com’s MX records to find the destination mail server. Multiple MX records provide redundancy — if the primary server (lowest priority number) is unreachable, the sender tries the next. Common patterns: Google Workspace uses aspmx.l.google.com, Microsoft 365 uses [tenant].mail.protection.outlook.com.
If email delivery is failing, checking the MX records here is always the right first step to confirm they point to the correct mail service. Then use our Port Checker to verify the mail server is actually reachable on port 25, 465, or 587, and our SSL Checker to confirm the certificate is valid for SMTPS connections.
TXT records are one of the most versatile record types in DNS. The most common uses are SPF (Sender Policy Framework), which lists the IP addresses and mail servers authorised to send email on behalf of the domain; DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), which publishes the public key used to verify cryptographic signatures on outgoing emails; and DMARC, which specifies the policy for handling emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. TXT records are also used for domain ownership verification by services like Google, Cloudflare, Facebook and Atlassian.
If legitimate email is landing in spam folders, missing or misconfigured SPF, DKIM or DMARC TXT records are almost always a contributing factor. Look them up here, then check the sending server’s certificate with our SSL Checker and confirm port accessibility with our Port Checker.
A forward DNS lookup (what this tool performs) converts a domain name into an IP address or other associated records. A reverse DNS lookup goes the other direction — it takes an IP address and returns the hostname assigned to it, stored in a PTR record. Reverse DNS is managed by the organisation that owns the IP block rather than the domain owner, and is used by mail servers to verify the sending IP, by sysadmins to identify unknown devices, and by security tools to correlate IPs with hostnames in logs. Use our Reverse DNS tool to look up the PTR record for any IP address.
A CNAME record creates an alias from one domain name to another. When a resolver encounters a CNAME, it follows the chain to the target and resolves that target’s records instead. CNAMEs are widely used for subdomains pointing to CDN or cloud services — pointing a subdomain to a Cloudflare or AWS hostname means you can change the underlying server IP without ever touching DNS again. One important constraint: you cannot place a CNAME at the zone apex (the root domain itself) alongside other records. Many DNS providers offer a proprietary ALIAS or ANAME record type as a workaround. After setting up a CNAME to a new service, verify the SSL certificate with our SSL Checker to confirm HTTPS is working correctly.
Yes — completely free with no query limits and no account required. Every result is fetched live at the moment you submit the form. Your queries are not stored, not linked to any user profile, and not used for any purpose beyond displaying the result on your screen. The lookup runs fresh every time with no cached data. For full domain registration and ownership details alongside your DNS records, run a WHOIS Lookup on the same domain.