DNS Lookup
Query DNS records for any domain — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, NS, SOA and CAA. Powered by Cloudflare DNS-over-HTTPS. Free, instant, no signup.
How DNS Works
DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names into the IP addresses computers use to communicate. When you type a domain into a browser, your device asks a DNS resolver which IP address the domain points to. The resolver checks its cache, then queries the authoritative nameserver for that domain and returns the answer. This tool performs the lookup in real time using Cloudflare's DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) API — the same query your browser makes, but with results you can inspect directly.
DNS Record Types
| Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | IPv4 address for a domain | 93.184.216.34 |
| AAAA | IPv6 address for a domain | 2606:2800:220:1:248:1893:25c8:1946 |
| MX | Mail server for a domain | mail.example.com (priority 10) |
| TXT | Text data — SPF, DKIM, domain verification | v=spf1 include:… |
| CNAME | Alias to another domain name | www → example.com |
| NS | Authoritative nameservers for the zone | ns1.example.com |
| SOA | Zone authority, serial number, refresh timings | Primary NS, admin email, serial |
| CAA | Which certificate authorities can issue SSL certs | letsencrypt.org |
What is TTL?
TTL (Time To Live) is how long in seconds a DNS resolver is allowed to cache a record before it must re-query the authoritative server. A TTL of 300 means cached for 5 minutes. A TTL of 86400 means cached for 24 hours. Lower TTLs (300–600) let DNS changes propagate faster — useful before a migration. Higher TTLs (3600–86400) reduce query load. When planning a DNS migration, lower the TTL to 300 at least 24 hours before the switch; restore it to a higher value after confirming everything works.
Common DNS Troubleshooting Use Cases
- Check if a domain change has propagated — compare the A or CNAME record returned here against what you expect. Results that differ from your registrar's settings mean propagation is still in progress.
- Verify email configuration — look up MX records to confirm your mail server is configured. Check TXT records for SPF (
v=spf1 …) and DKIM entries. - Debug subdomain routing — CNAME lookups show where a subdomain points, useful when diagnosing CDN, load balancer or hosting platform configurations.
- Check SSL certificate eligibility — CAA records restrict which certificate authorities can issue SSL certificates for your domain.