DNS lookup
Check any domain's DNS records: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA and CAA.
What each record does
| Record | What it does |
|---|---|
| A / AAAA | Points the domain to a server's IPv4 / IPv6 address (your website). |
| CNAME | Makes one name an alias of another, like www pointing to your main domain. |
| MX | Says which servers receive email for the domain. |
| NS | The name servers that hold all the other records. |
| TXT | Text for verification (Google, Microsoft) and email security (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). |
| SOA | Technical details about the zone, including its primary name server. |
| CAA | Which certificate authorities may issue SSL certificates for the domain. |
Questions people ask
What is a DNS lookup?
It asks the Domain Name System which records a domain has: where its website lives (A/AAAA), where its email goes (MX), which name servers control it (NS), and text records used for verification and email security (TXT).
Why don't my new DNS records show up?
DNS answers are cached for the record's TTL (time to live). New records usually appear within minutes, but changes to existing records can take up to the old TTL, occasionally 24 hours.
How do I check if my email is set up correctly?
Look for MX records pointing to your email provider (for example Google or Zoho), and TXT records starting with v=spf1 and, on _dmarc.yourdomain, v=DMARC1.