There are many reasons you might need to check your domain DNS records as propagated on the internet. For instance, if your website is not available (it might be due to incorrect DNS records) or if you need to check which DNS records are shown on the internet. The Domain Name System (DNS) points an incoming website domain toward the IP address of the server. This means that when you open a website, the DNS records fetch the IP address of the server (where the domain is pointed) and serve the website.
In this guide, I will show how to check your current domain DNS records using provided commands and online tools.
Checking DNS Records Using Command Line
The most efficient way to check DNS records of the domain is to use a terminal with the command nslookup. This command will run on almost all operating systems (Windows, Linux, and MacOS). The nslookup command shows all DNS records of the domain. Below are various nslookup commands for different DNS record types to check using the command line.
For demonstration, I will use our domain name 'vpssell.com'. When you open the terminal window, type the following commands, making sure to replace 'vpssell.com' with your domain name.
Lookup A Record:
nslookup -type=A vpssell.com
Example output:
nslookup vpssell.com
Example output:
Lookup NS Record:
nslookup -type=NS vpssell.com
Example output:
Lookup MX Record:
nslookup -type=MX vpssell.com
Lookup CNAME Record:
nslookup -type=CNAME vpssell.com
Lookup TXT Record:
nslookup -type=TXT vpssell.com
Other DNS records can be checked by replacing the DNS record type. For example, nslookup -type=SOA domainname.
There are also other commands you can use to check DNS records, such as ping or host.
- The
ping command shows the domain A record - where the domain is pointed.
- The
host command runs on Linux and shows the IP address of a particular domain name or if you want to find out the domain name of a particular IP address.
Example output:
Checking Domain DNS Records Using Online Tools
If you do not have the ability to check DNS records using the command line, you can check records using online trusted tools. Below are some online tools you can use:
- dnsrecords.io: This online tool allows you to enter the domain name, and all the domain DNS records will be provided - whether the website is fully propagated or not worldwide.
- DNSChecker.org: This tool not only shows all DNS records for the domain but also shows how those records are propagated on the internet.
- Leaf DNS: This online tool shows domain DNS records and provides warnings and failures of the DNS records. This tool is quite helpful, for example, when you create custom nameservers for the domain.
These methods will help you check your domain's DNS records efficiently and accurately.
