What does DNS lookup show?
DNS lookup shows the public records that the resolver currently returns for a domain or subdomain. It helps with site migrations, email configuration, domain verification and diagnostics of DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN and ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED. For mail records, try the SPF/DMARC/DKIM checker.
| Type | What it typically means |
|---|
| A | IPv4 address of the target |
| AAAA | IPv6 address of the target |
| CNAME | Alias pointing to another name |
| MX | Mail server and priority |
| TXT | Text for SPF, domain verification and other policies |
| NS | Authoritative nameservers |
| SOA | Zone metadata including serial number |
| CAA | Certificate authorities allowed to issue certificates |
How to interpret the result
Answers can be cached. A missing record of one type is different from NXDOMAIN for a name. Missing DNSSEC validation alone does not prove misconfiguration.
Frequently asked questions
What is a DNS lookup?
A DNS lookup queries a domain's public DNS records. It lets you see the IP address a domain points to, which servers receive mail, or which TXT records are published.
Which DNS records can I check?
The tool supports A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA and CAA. You can also query all of these common record types together.
What does NXDOMAIN mean?
NXDOMAIN means the resolver cannot find an existing DNS name matching the query. It is not the same as an empty answer for one specific record type.
What does TTL mean?
TTL specifies how many seconds a resolver can cache an answer. After a DNS change, different resolvers may therefore return older values for a while.
What does DNSSEC validated mean?
The resolver set the AD (Authenticated Data) bit for the displayed response. A missing AD flag alone does not prove DNSSEC is misconfigured or absent.
Are these results from an authoritative name server?
Not directly. The tool uses Cloudflare's public 1.1.1.1 resolver over DNS over HTTPS, so the results reflect its current resolution, including cached or fresh answers according to DNS rules.
