NS Lookup
Uses Cloudflare's DNS-over-HTTPS (DOH) endpoint to return information about the domains DNS records.
What is NS Lookup?
NS Lookup (Name Server Lookup) is a tool used to query the Domain Name System (DNS) to obtain information about domain names. DNS is the internet's phonebook—it translates human-readable domain names like "utiliti.dev" into IP addresses that computers use to communicate.
When you perform an NS lookup, you're asking DNS servers for specific records associated with a domain. This information is crucial for troubleshooting network issues, verifying DNS configurations, and understanding how a domain is set up.
How This Tool Works
Utiliti uses Cloudflare's DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) service to perform lookups. DoH encrypts DNS queries, providing privacy benefits over traditional DNS lookups. Your queries go directly from your browser to Cloudflare—we don't proxy or log your lookups.
DNS Record Types Explained
- A Record: Maps a domain to an IPv4 address (e.g., 93.184.216.34). The most fundamental DNS record type.
- AAAA Record: Maps a domain to an IPv6 address. The modern equivalent of A records for IPv6.
- CNAME Record: Creates an alias from one domain to another. Often used for subdomains like www.
- MX Record: Specifies mail servers responsible for receiving email for the domain.
- TXT Record: Holds text information. Used for domain verification, SPF, DKIM, and other purposes.
- NS Record: Indicates which name servers are authoritative for the domain.
- SPF Record: Specifies which servers are allowed to send email on behalf of the domain.
How to Use
- Enter a domain: Type the domain name you want to look up (e.g., "example.com")
- Click Search: The tool will query multiple record types simultaneously
- Review results: See all DNS records in a table with record type, TTL, and data
- Copy values: Use the copy button to grab specific record values
Common Use Cases
- Domain Migration: Verify DNS records before and after migrating to a new host
- Email Troubleshooting: Check MX records when email isn't being delivered
- SSL Verification: Confirm DNS records for SSL certificate validation
- Domain Verification: Look up TXT records for service verifications (Google, Microsoft 365, etc.)
- Network Debugging: Check if DNS is resolving correctly when websites aren't loading
- Security Audits: Review SPF and DKIM records for email security
Understanding TTL
TTL (Time To Live) is shown in seconds and indicates how long DNS resolvers should cache the record before checking for updates. Lower TTLs mean changes propagate faster but increase DNS query load. Common values are 300 (5 minutes) for frequently changing records and 86400 (24 hours) for stable records.