In troubleshooting an issue with DNS records, you have to check which records were mismatched. In troubleshooting the DNS configuration and in the information-gathering phase of hacking, retrieving the DNS records is the first step. Have you ever wondered how to check the DNS records of any website quickly? There are so many online and command-line tools to check DNS records. But before that…
What are DNS records? 🤔
DNS records are like the instructions that are kept in the zone entries of root DNS servers. Each website’s DNS configuration is mapped via DNS records. There are many different sorts of DNS records on the internet. But these are the most common sorts of DNS records that are seen on every website.
A record – Points website name to IPV4 addressAAAA – Points hostname to IPV6 addressNS – specifies the authoritative nameserversMX – responsible for directing an email to a mail server.PTR – Used for reverse lookupsCNAME – redirects one domain to another. For example, even if you just type geekflare.com in the web browser, you will be redirected to www.geekflare.com, which is the DNS record behind that configuration.
We have summed up a list of a few DNS record lookup tools. Let’s get rolling! 😎
Nslookup.io
Nslookup.io is a handy and excellent web service that can assist you in viewing the DNS records of any given website. Enter the website name you want and click on the ‘Find DNS records’ button to continue. The best thing about this tool is, it consists of an auto-suggestion method. And it also has an option to choose your desired DNS server to retrieve DNS records.
Geekflare
Geeklfare DNS record lookup tool is yet another fantastic tool for checking the DNS records of any website. To find the records of the target website, simply enter the domain name and click on the “Lookup DNS.” You will see all the domain records, including their TTL value, in a matter of seconds. If you’ve modified any record and want to check if it’s reflected on the internet or not, this tool will be so helpful to troubleshoot quickly. You can also use the Geekflare DNS Lookup API. This is by far the simplest way to check for the DNS records of subject websites. This DNS Lookup API supports multi-location checks for region-specific DNS configurations. Finally, you can start with a free-forever plan that bundles 3000 requests per month. In addition, the premium ones start with 10k API calls billing only $5 a month.
DNS Checker
DNSchecker is a web-based service that allows you to see the DNS records of any website quickly. Simply input the domain name, choose the DNS server to query records, and click on the “Lookup DNS.” It also has an option to choose the records you want to retrieve. This web service can also query other types of records such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DS records, and DNSKEY.
MX Toolbox
MXToolbox DNS lookup is a powerful tool that can show out all the DNS records. Type its URL into the text box and click ‘DNS lookup.’ This tool consists of other features such as blacklist check, DKIM, DMARC, ASN, and LOC lookup.
DNS Watch
The DNS Watch lookup tool is a straightforward tool to use. Enter a hostname or website IP address in the input field and select the record type to retrieve.
Using Command Prompt
Alternatively, you can retrieve the DNS records of any website by using the nslookup command-line tool in the terminal. Just type the following command in the terminal. Here you can provide any web address you want. For example, To retrieve the specific record like NS and MX. Just use the set query method. You can see the nslookup command provides the DNS records, whichever you want to see.
Conclusion 👩💻
I hope you find these tools useful for fast performing a DNS query for your domain. If you need help in implementing the DNS CAA record, do check out our guide on DNS CAA Validation and Implementation.
