🌐 DNS Records Checker

DNS records are instructions stored in DNS servers that provide information about a domain and its associated services. They act like an address book for the internet, mapping domain names to IP addresses and specifying how different services like email and websites should be handled. DNS records are crucial for ensuring your website loads correctly, emails are delivered properly, and all online services function as intended.

A records map domain names to IPv4 addresses (like 192.168.1.1), while AAAA records map domain names to IPv6 addresses (like 2001:db8::1). IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses and is the older standard, while IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses and provides a much larger address space. Most modern websites have both A and AAAA records to support both IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity.

CNAME records create an alias that points one domain name to another domain name, not directly to an IP address. They're useful for pointing subdomains like www.example.com to example.com, or for creating service-specific subdomains like mail.example.com that point to your main domain. CNAME records cannot be used for root domains and should not chain to other CNAME records to avoid performance issues.

MX (Mail Exchange) records specify which mail servers are responsible for receiving emails for your domain. They include a priority value - lower numbers indicate higher priority. If your primary mail server is unavailable, emails will be delivered to the next highest priority server. Properly configured MX records are essential for reliable email delivery and preventing email loss.

TXT records store arbitrary text data and serve various purposes including domain verification, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and security policies. Common uses include Google site verification, Microsoft domain verification, SPF records for email security, and DMARC policies for email authentication. TXT records are essential for proving domain ownership and configuring email security.

NS (Name Server) records specify which DNS servers are authoritative for your domain. They tell the internet where to find your domain's DNS information. Every domain must have at least two NS records for redundancy. If NS records are incorrect or pointing to non-functional servers, your entire domain will be unreachable. These records are typically managed at your domain registrar and should point to your DNS hosting provider's name servers.

TTL (Time To Live) specifies how long DNS resolvers should cache a DNS record before checking for updates. It's measured in seconds - a TTL of 3600 means the record will be cached for 1 hour. Lower TTL values mean faster propagation of changes but more DNS queries, while higher TTL values reduce DNS traffic but slow down change propagation. Setting appropriate TTL values is important for balancing performance and flexibility.

DNS propagation typically takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, but most changes propagate within 4-8 hours. The time depends on several factors including TTL values, your ISP's DNS cache settings, and the type of record being changed. NS record changes usually take longer to propagate than other record types. You can use DNS checker tools to monitor propagation progress across different global DNS servers.

SOA (Start of Authority) records contain administrative information about a DNS zone, including the primary name server, administrator email address, serial number for tracking changes, and timing values for zone transfers. Every DNS zone must have exactly one SOA record. It's essential for DNS zone management and synchronization between primary and secondary DNS servers. The serial number in SOA records helps secondary servers know when to update their copies of the zone data.

Yes, you can have multiple A records pointing to different IP addresses for the same domain. This is commonly used for load balancing and redundancy. When a domain has multiple A records, DNS servers typically return all the IP addresses, and client systems will usually try to connect to them in different orders, distributing the load. This provides both performance benefits and failover protection if one server becomes unavailable.

To troubleshoot DNS issues, start by checking if the correct DNS records exist and have proper values. Verify A/AAAA records point to the right IP addresses, MX records are configured for email services, and NS records point to functioning name servers. Check TTL values if changes aren't propagating quickly enough. Use DNS lookup tools to compare results from different DNS servers and identify inconsistencies. Also verify that your domain's name servers are responding and that there are no conflicting CNAME records.

Yes, our DNS records checker is completely free to use with no registration required. You can perform unlimited DNS lookups without any charges. The tool provides comprehensive DNS record information in real-time, making it perfect for developers, system administrators, and anyone who needs to analyze DNS configurations for troubleshooting or verification purposes.