What this checks
Enter a domain and this tool queries public DNS and returns the record values it gets back, grouped by type. Leave every checkbox unchecked to pull the full set — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, and SOA — or tick specific types to narrow the answer. It reports the values the resolver returns right now, so a record you added a minute ago shows up as soon as the authoritative nameservers serve it and any cached copy has expired.
Results are the raw record values only — the addresses, hostnames, and text strings themselves. This is a values view, not a zone editor: there are no name or TTL columns here (see below for why), just what each record resolves to.
What each record type is for
- A — maps a name to an IPv4 address. This is what points a domain at a server.
- AAAA — the IPv6 equivalent of an A record. Present when the host is reachable over IPv6.
- CNAME — an alias that points one name at another name. Common for
wwwand for pointing a subdomain at a SaaS provider. - MX — mail exchangers: the hosts that accept email for the domain, each with a priority number.
- TXT — arbitrary text, used for SPF, domain verification, and other machine-readable proofs.
- NS — the authoritative nameservers for the zone. These decide who answers everything else.
- SOA — the "start of authority" record: the zone's primary nameserver, contact, serial number, and timing values.
- CAA — names which certificate authorities are allowed to issue certificates for the domain.
TTLs and caching
Every DNS record carries a TTL — a time-to-live in seconds that tells resolvers how long they may cache the answer before asking again. This tool shows you the current answer, not the TTL, because the number that actually matters when you change a record is how long the old answer lingers in caches elsewhere. If a record had a TTL of 3600 when you changed it, resolvers that fetched it just before your change can keep serving the stale value for up to an hour, no matter what this tool shows. Lower a record's TTL a day before a planned change and the cutover is far faster.
Apex vs. subdomain
The apex (or root) is the bare domain — example.com — while a
subdomain is anything in front of it, like www.example.com or
app.example.com. They are separate names with separate records: an A record on the
apex says nothing about www, and vice versa. This trips people up constantly, because
a site can load fine at www and fail at the apex simply because only one of the two has
a record. Look up both names explicitly if visitors reach you at both.
FAQ
What do A vs. AAAA records do?
Both point a name at an IP address; the difference is the protocol. An A record holds an IPv4
address (like 93.184.216.34) and an AAAA record holds an IPv6 address (like
2606:2800:220:1::1946). A host can have one or both. If you only publish an A record,
IPv6-only clients can't reach you directly — but that's rare enough that most sites run on A
records alone.
Why don't I see a TTL here?
This tool reports the record values, not their TTLs, because the value is what you're almost always checking. The TTL matters most for how long an old value survives in caches after a change — it doesn't change what the record currently resolves to. Your DNS provider's dashboard shows the TTL you've set on each record.
Why do results differ from my registrar's panel?
Two reasons. First, caching: your registrar shows what you've configured, while this tool shows what public resolvers are actually serving, and a recent edit may not have propagated yet. Second, delegation: if your nameservers point elsewhere (a CDN, a managed DNS host), the records that resolve live come from there, not from the registrar's own zone editor.
What are CAA records?
A CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) record lists which certificate authorities are permitted to issue certificates for your domain. If you publish one and it names a different CA than the one trying to issue, the certificate request is refused — which is a common, silent cause of failed renewals. If you don't publish any CAA record, any CA may issue.