DNS Lookup Tool | Check DNS Records for Any Domain

Use the DNS lookup tool to find the IP address of any domain name. The lookup results will include the IP addresses in the DNS records received from the servers.

What is a DNS lookup?

A DNS lookup is a tool that involves the process of converting domain names to IP addresses. While the domain name system makes these domain-to-IP conversions, sometimes users want to know various information about a domain. They want to check DNS records or know a domain name's IP address.

In these cases, the DNS lookup tool can provide information to the user.

How does DNS work?

The domain name system (DNS) resolves a domain name to an IP address through a DNS server. DNS can be thought of as a domain lookup, website IP checker, or IP finder, as it searches domains or websites to produce related IP addresses. Essentially, it converts domain names to IP addresses for the user.

Typical DNS queries are sent through four different server types: the DNS resolver (also known as the recursor), the root nameserver, the TLD nameserver, and the authoritative nameserver. The domain name system recursor gets the query and communicates with other domain name system servers to get the correct IP address.

Once it’s located, the domain name system recursor will send the query to the three other domain name system servers. Next, the root server, designated as the Internet’s domain name system root zone, responds to requests sent in the root zone. As a response, a list of authoritative nameservers that correspond with TLDs will be sent back.

The TLD nameserver will then store the second-level domain IP address and release the website’s IP address. The query gets sent to the domain’s nameserver. Finally, the authoritative nameserver can respond to the original domain name system query.

What is DNS lookup used for?

Like other tools, such as a DNS TXT record lookup and TTL lookup, this lookup tool is an important part of your DNS toolbox. DNS record lookups are used to translate IP addresses and domain names. With the DNS lookup tool, users can find the IP address of a domain name and other information related to domains.

Users can also perform a reverse DNS lookup. This uses pointer records to query an IP address to find a hostname. It essentially finds the "name" of IP addresses. Some IP addresses will not return a domain name if multiple domains are associated with a given IP address.

Do a reverse IP lookup to check DNS and find your IP's domain. If you want to find your own IP, the What Is My IP homepage shows you your IP along with all the related IP details.

How does a DNS lookup work?

The forward lookup, or simple DNS lookup, is the most commonly used approach to DNS. The forward approach to DNS is simply finding out the IP address of a domain.

People tend to find it difficult to remember long strings of numbers. Instead, it's easier to remember a domain name that uses words, like 'google.com' rather than '8.8.4.4.'

However, electronic devices use streams of 1s and 0s to communicate. Unique numeric identification is the only way for one computer to communicate with another. The method of identification used on the Internet is IP addresses.

Here are the simple steps for domain name system resolution.

1. A user enters a domain name into their Internet browser, like www.whatismyip.com.
2. The computer sends the domain name as a DNS request to the user's Internet service provider (ISP).
3. The ISP determines if it has the IP address associated with that name.
4. If it does not, the ISP forwards the request to other providers to lookup DNS records containing the data.
5. Once the record is found, the IP address of the domain is returned to the user.
6. Now, the user's computer can communicate directly with the server.

How to perform a DNS lookup

To use the DNS lookup command, enter the domain URL into the DNS lookup tool above and select Lookup or press Enter. The DNS tracker will return the IPv4 address records for a domain in a domain lookup.

You can also use the nslookup command to check nameservers for domains rather than using the full DNS lookup command. Furthermore, you can use the DNS checker above to perform an in-site DNS lookup.

To do a DNS lookup in a Windows computer, go to Start, then Run, and type command to open the command prompt. Type nslookup as the DNS lookup command and hit Enter. Your search will bring back information about your local DNS default server and IP address.

If you're using a Mac computer, go to the Finder menu in the upper right corner and click Go. Find Utilities, then select Terminal. In the pop-up box, type nslookup followed by the IP address or domain you want to query, and then hit Enter. Your search will return the DNS server and IP address of the information you entered.

If you want to know how to look up a domain to find the owner, use a WHOIS Domain Lookup or the WHOIS IP Lookup tool once you have a domain's IP address. The WHOIS lookup works to check domain owners and identifies the owners of various IP addresses.

What are DNS records?

DNS records are essentially the data components of the domain name system. They keep the Internet functioning properly, as each website has DNS records that can be accessed through a lookup. These records are kept on DNS servers.

These records help map between domain names and IPs, include important data like IPs or record values, and host the record's time-to-live, indicating how long a DNS resolver should cache the DNS record before a refresh.

What DNS record types can be looked up?

The domain name system includes many record types, each serving a distinct purpose. However, not all of them are commonly used. The DNS lookup tool above checks the most common record types; you can check all DNS records simultaneously or select just one to get the necessary details. Below is a list of the DNS record types a user can look up using the tool.

• A records. A records are the most common DNS record type. They translate domain names into IP addresses. By specifying an A record, domain owners can ensure their site's accessibility.
• AAAA records. AAAA records map domain names to IPv6 addresses. This allows users to connect to servers using the newer IP protocol.
• NS records. NS (nameserver) records identify the authoritative nameservers for a domain. They allow DNS resolvers to determine which servers are responsible for domain-related queries.
• MX records. MX (Mail Exchange) records specify the mail server responsible for handling a domain's email.
• TXT records. TXT (text) records contain textual information about a domain name and provide additional information to various services, like email servers and spam filters.
• CNAME records. CNAME (canonical name) records create aliases for domain names. They map one domain to another to improve user access.

Why is DNS lookup important?

Using a DNS record lookup tool is important because it helps both users and webmasters online. Specifically, it can provide domain name resolution, Internet accessibility, resource mapping, and even security boosts like network troubleshooting and spam prevention.

In short, DNS lookups are critical for resolving domain names to IPs, ensuring website availability, and improving security. Use the DNS lookup tool to provide the best online experience.