Enter a domain without http:// — e.g.
example.com
Ready to query
Enter a domain and select a record type// query dns records instantly in the browser
Free online DNS lookup tool. Query A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, TXT, NS, SOA records instantly. Browser-based, no sign-up required.
example.com
Ready to query
Enter a domain and select a record typeType a domain name like example.com — no need to include http://.
Choose the DNS record type you want to query: A, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, and more.
Click Lookup to see the live DNS records returned for that domain and type.
The DNS Lookup tool queries live DNS records for any domain. It supports all major record types including A (IPv4), AAAA (IPv6), MX (mail), CNAME (aliases), TXT (verification/SPF), NS (nameservers), SOA (authority), PTR (reverse), SRV (services), and CAA (certificate authority).
A DNS lookup queries the Domain Name System to retrieve records associated with a domain. These records map human-readable domain names to IP addresses, mail servers, and other services.
An A record maps a domain name to an IPv4 address (e.g. 93.184.216.34). It is the most common DNS record type and is used to point a domain to a web server.
An MX (Mail Exchange) record specifies which mail server is responsible for accepting email for a domain. Each MX record has a priority value — lower values indicate higher priority.
TXT records store arbitrary text for a domain. They are commonly used for domain ownership verification (Google, GitHub), SPF (email sender policy), DKIM (email signing), and DMARC policies.
A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is an alias that maps one domain name to another. For example, www.example.com might be a CNAME pointing to example.com.
DNS records are cached by resolvers for a duration defined by the TTL (Time To Live) value. After a change, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate globally depending on the TTL.
NS (Name Server) records identify which DNS servers are authoritative for a domain. They delegate control of a zone to specific nameservers managed by a hosting provider or registrar.
SOA (Start of Authority) is a required DNS record that contains administrative information about a zone, including the primary nameserver, admin email, serial number, and refresh intervals.
A DNS Lookup tool queries the Domain Name System (DNS) for records associated with a specific domain name. DNS is often described as the phonebook of the internet — it translates human-readable domain names like example.com into machine-readable information such as IP addresses, mail server hostnames, and verification tokens.
Our free online DNS Lookup tool lets you query any domain in real time directly from your browser. No installation, no sign-up, and no command-line knowledge required. Just enter a domain, pick a record type, and get instant results.
DNS supports many different record types, each serving a specific purpose. Here is a breakdown of all record types supported by this tool:
192.0.2.1). This is the most fundamental DNS record and is required for any domain that serves web traffic.2001:db8::1). As IPv6 adoption grows, AAAA records are increasingly important.Using the tool is straightforward. Enter the domain name you want to inspect in the input field — for example, google.com or mail.example.org. You do not need to include http:// or any path. Then select the record type you want to query from the type buttons, and click Lookup.
The tool sends a request to the server which performs a live DNS query using PHP's dns_get_record() function and returns the results as structured JSON. You'll see all matching records including their TTL (how long they're cached), class, and type-specific fields.
DNS lookups are essential in many real-world scenarios:
Every DNS record includes a TTL value measured in seconds. This tells DNS resolvers and clients how long to cache the record before querying again. A TTL of 3600 means the record is cached for one hour. Lowering TTL before making DNS changes is a best practice — it ensures old records expire quickly after the update. A common strategy is to reduce TTL to 300 (5 minutes) several hours before a planned migration, then restore it to a higher value afterwards.
It's important to distinguish between a DNS lookup and DNS propagation. A lookup retrieves the current record as seen from our server. Propagation refers to how long it takes for a change to spread across all DNS resolvers worldwide. Because resolvers cache records up to the TTL, clients in different locations may see different values during propagation. If you're investigating propagation issues, try using multiple DNS servers (like 8.8.8.8 for Google or 1.1.1.1 for Cloudflare) to compare results.
If you prefer the terminal, the equivalent command for looking up DNS records is dig on Linux/macOS or nslookup on Windows. For example: dig example.com MX or nslookup -type=MX example.com. Our browser-based tool provides the same data without requiring any software installation.