DomainDNSCheck

DNS Lookup

Enter a domain or hostname and choose a record type, or leave it on "All" to fetch the most common records at once. Every answer shows its TTL and any CNAME chain that was followed.

  • DNS
  • Live check
  • Free, no sign-up
  • Results are not published

For example example.com — URLs and email addresses are accepted too.

At a glance

What it checks
Query A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CAA and other records for any hostname through public DNS resolvers.
Data source
Public DNS-over-HTTPS resolvers (Cloudflare and Google), with failover.
Freshness
Live check; results are cached for up to 5 minutes
Limits
Recursive answers come from resolver caches, so a record you just changed can take until its TTL expires to appear. Methodology
Cost
Free, no account needed

Understanding the result

How the lookup works

Queries are sent over DNS-over-HTTPS to public recursive resolvers, by default Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) and Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8), with automatic failover if one is unavailable. You therefore see the same answer that a typical visitor using those resolvers would receive, including cached data. The resolver that answered is named in the result.

The "All" option requests A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA and CAA records in parallel. DS, DNSKEY and SRV can be selected individually. Service names that start with an underscore, such as _sip._tcp.example.com for SRV or _dmarc.example.com for TXT, are accepted. If you are new to record types, Understanding DNS records explains what each one does.

Reading the results

Records are grouped by type. Each row shows the owner name, TTL in seconds and the record data, parsed where that helps: MX priority and exchange, SOA serial and timers, CAA flags and tags. When the resolver validated the answer with DNSSEC, the section is marked as authenticated.

The findings at the top summarize what was found:

  • PASS: records exist, with a count.
  • INFO: the name exists but has none of the requested record types.
  • FAIL: the resolver returned NXDOMAIN, meaning the name does not exist in DNS at all.
  • WARNING: a CNAME exists at the zone apex (for example on example.com itself), which conflicts with the SOA and NS records that must live there.

If one record type times out while others succeed, the result is marked partial and the failed section shows its error.

Common problems this reveals

  • Changes not visible yet: the old record is still cached. Compare the TTL with when you made the change, or use the DNS Resolver Comparison to see whether resolvers disagree.
  • NXDOMAIN for a new domain: the domain may not be delegated yet. Check its nameservers with the Nameserver Checker.
  • Missing AAAA records: the site is reachable over IPv4 only. That is common but worth knowing.
  • Duplicate or conflicting TXT records: for example two SPF records, which the SPF Checker will flag.

Limitations

This is a recursive lookup, not a query to the domain's authoritative nameservers, so a record you just edited may not appear until caches expire. Results are cached briefly by DomainDNSCheck too, never longer than the record's own TTL. For how resolution works end to end, see How DNS works.

Frequently asked questions

How long do DNS changes take to show up?

Up to the TTL of the old record, counted from when a resolver last cached it. A record with a TTL of 3600 can be served from cache for up to an hour after you change it. Lowering the TTL a day before a planned change shortens that window.

Why does the lookup show a CNAME when I asked for A records?

The hostname is an alias. Resolvers follow the CNAME to its target and return the target's A records, and the tool shows both the chain and the final addresses.

Can I query a specific nameserver?

Not with this tool. It uses public DNS-over-HTTPS resolvers, which only answer recursive queries. To see how different public resolvers answer, use the DNS Resolver Comparison.

What does the SOA serial tell me?

It is a version number for the zone. Many DNS providers increase it on every change, so a new serial is a quick way to confirm that an edit was published.