DNS Lookup Tool
Query DNS records for any domain or perform reverse DNS lookups on IP addresses
This check runs from our infrastructure and may log the queried information to improve accuracy and availability. Logs are retained for a short period and are not used for marketing
DNS Record Types
Related Tools
What is a DNS Lookup?
A DNS (Domain Name System) lookup is the process of translating a human-readable domain name like netoz.au into a machine-readable IP address like 151.158.22.5. Every time you visit a website, send an email, or connect to any internet service, a DNS lookup happens behind the scenes to route your request to the correct server.
DNS is often called the "phonebook of the internet" because it maps names to numbers. Without DNS, you'd need to memorise the IP address of every website you want to visit. The system is hierarchical — when you type a domain into your browser, your device first checks its local cache, then queries a recursive resolver (usually provided by your ISP), which in turn queries root servers, top-level domain servers, and finally the authoritative nameserver for that domain.
This free DNS lookup tool lets you query the DNS records for any domain directly. All lookups run from our Australian infrastructure, giving you a local perspective on how DNS resolves from within Australia — useful for verifying that DNS changes have propagated to Australian resolvers.
DNS Record Types Explained
DNS isn't just about mapping domains to IP addresses. Different record types serve different purposes, and understanding them is essential for managing your domain, email, and web infrastructure.
A and AAAA Records
A records map a domain to an IPv4 address, while AAAA records map to an IPv6 address. These are the most fundamental DNS records — they tell the internet which server hosts your website. Most domains have at least one A record, and increasingly an AAAA record for IPv6 connectivity. If your website isn't loading, checking these records is usually the first step.
CNAME Records
A CNAME (Canonical Name) record creates an alias from one domain to another. For example, you might point www.example.com to example.com using a CNAME. They're commonly used with CDNs and cloud services where the provider gives you a hostname rather than a static IP. A CNAME cannot coexist with other records at the same name, so they're not used at the zone apex (the bare domain).
MX Records
MX (Mail Exchange) records specify which mail servers accept email for your domain, along with a priority value. Lower priority numbers are tried first. If your email isn't working, incorrect MX records are one of the most common causes. You can use our MX Lookup tool for a dedicated mail server check.
TXT Records
TXT records hold arbitrary text data and are used for domain verification, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and security policies. SPF records tell receiving mail servers which IP addresses are authorised to send email on behalf of your domain — critical for preventing your emails from landing in spam. You can validate your SPF configuration with our SPF Validator.
NS, SOA, and PTR Records
NS (Name Server) records identify the authoritative DNS servers for a domain — these are the servers that hold the definitive copy of your DNS zone. SOA (Start of Authority) records contain metadata about the zone including the primary nameserver, administrator email, serial number, and refresh intervals. PTR (Pointer) records are used for reverse DNS, mapping an IP address back to a hostname, which is important for email deliverability and network diagnostics.
Common DNS Issues
DNS misconfigurations are behind many website and email problems. Here are the issues we see most often and how to identify them.
Missing or Incorrect A Records
If your domain's A record points to the wrong IP address — or doesn't exist at all — your website won't load. This commonly happens after migrating to a new hosting provider and forgetting to update DNS, or when a record is accidentally deleted. Use this tool to check that your A record points to the correct server IP.
Broken Email Delivery
Email problems are frequently caused by misconfigured MX records, missing SPF or DKIM TXT records, or MX records pointing to servers that no longer exist. If your emails are bouncing or landing in spam, check your MX and TXT records here first. Ensure your MX records point to your current mail provider and that your SPF record includes all servers that send email on your behalf.
TTL and Caching Delays
The TTL (Time to Live) value on a DNS record tells resolvers how long to cache the result. If you've updated a record but the old value is still showing, the previous TTL hasn't expired yet. High TTLs (like 86400 seconds / 24 hours) mean changes take longer to propagate. Before making DNS changes, consider lowering the TTL first, waiting for the old TTL to expire, then making the change.
CNAME at Zone Apex
A common mistake is trying to set a CNAME record on the bare domain (e.g. example.com rather than www.example.com). The DNS specification doesn't allow CNAME records at the zone apex because they conflict with other required records like NS and SOA. Some DNS providers offer workarounds like ALIAS or ANAME records, but standard CNAME won't work at the root.
How to Troubleshoot DNS Propagation
DNS propagation is the time it takes for DNS changes to spread across the internet's network of resolvers. When you update a DNS record, the change isn't instant — resolvers around the world are caching the old record based on its TTL value, and they won't query for a new value until that cache expires.
Propagation typically takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on the TTL of the previous record. Here's a practical approach to troubleshooting:
- Check the authoritative nameserver first. Use an NS lookup to find your domain's nameservers, then query them directly. If the authoritative server shows the new value, the change has been made correctly — it's just waiting for caches to expire.
- Check from multiple locations. Use our DNS Propagation Checker to see how your records resolve from different locations. This shows you which resolvers have picked up the change and which are still serving cached data.
- Look at the TTL. The TTL on the old record determines how long resolvers will cache it. If the old TTL was 86400 (24 hours), you may need to wait up to a full day. For future changes, lower the TTL to 300 (5 minutes) well in advance.
- Flush your local cache. Your own device and browser cache DNS results too. On macOS, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache. On Windows, use ipconfig /flushdns. Also try a different browser or incognito mode to rule out browser-level caching.
- Check for conflicting records. Ensure there aren't old records that conflict with your new ones. For example, if you add a CNAME for www but an old A record for www still exists, the behaviour may be unpredictable.
If propagation seems stuck after 48 hours, the issue is likely a misconfiguration rather than slow propagation. Double-check that your records are set correctly at your DNS provider and that you're editing the right zone. If you need help, contact our team — we manage DNS hosting for many Australian businesses and can help diagnose the issue.