$ dns
DNS Lookup — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS
Free, no signup. Runs from our distributed probes — see how your host looks from different parts of the world.
What is a DNS lookup?
A DNS lookup queries the records that map your domain to actual services: A and AAAA for addresses, MX for mail, TXT for verification and SPF, NS for who answers authoritatively.
Because DNS answers are cached and can be served differently by region, checking from a single resolver can hide stale or split answers. Our probes query from multiple regions at once.
How to read the results
- Compare answers across regions: different A records can be geo-DNS working as designed — or stale caches still serving an old address after a change.
- Check the TTL: a low TTL means changes propagate fast; a high TTL means a mistake stays visible for hours.
- Missing or wrong MX and SPF (TXT) records silently break e-mail — worth checking even when the website works.
Questions
FAQ
Why do regions return different answers?
Three common reasons: geo-DNS or anycast intentionally answering by location, propagation still in progress after a change, or a stale cache at some resolver. Comparing regions tells you which one it is.
How long does DNS propagation take?
Up to the TTL of the old record — resolvers keep the cached answer until it expires. Lower the TTL before a planned change and the switch becomes minutes instead of hours.
Does this bypass my local DNS cache?
Yes. The lookup runs from our probes, not your machine, so you see what the world's resolvers see — not what your OS cached.