01What is a DNS lookup for?
The DNS (Domain Name System) is the Internet's directory: it translates a memorable domain name into IP addresses and carries a domain's technical information — mail servers, security keys, ownership verifications. This tool queries Cloudflare's public 1.1.1.1 resolver live over DNS over HTTPS and shows the raw answer: records, TTL and DNSSEC status.
Use it to check that a zone change has propagated, troubleshoot an unreachable website, inspect the MX servers receiving your email, or read back a TXT record (SPF, Google or Microsoft 365 verification…). For a full email analysis, see our SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker.
02The main record types
- A
- Maps the domain to an IPv4 address.
- AAAA
- Maps the domain to an IPv6 address.
- CNAME
- Alias pointing to another domain name, which holds the actual records.
- MX
- Servers receiving the domain's email, with their priority order.
- TXT
- Free-form text: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, ownership verifications…
- NS
- Name servers that are authoritative for the zone.
- SOA
- The zone's identity card: primary server, technical contact, serial number.
- SRV
- Locates a specific service (host and port), used by SIP, XMPP…
- CAA
- Certificate authorities allowed to issue TLS certificates for the domain.
- PTR
- Reverse resolution: maps an IP address back to a hostname.
- HTTPS
- Connection parameters (ALPN, HTTP/3) advertised by the domain.
03From the command line
The JSON API returns the records with open CORS, usable from a script or an application. The same URL as this page answers in plain-text dig format for curl:
$ curl "its-my-ip.com/dns?name=exemple.fr&type=MX" exemple.fr. 3600 IN MX 10 mx1.exemple.fr. $ curl "its-my-ip.com/api/dns?name=exemple.fr&type=MX" { "records": [ { "type": "MX", "ttl": 3600, "data": "10 mx1.exemple.fr." } ], … }
04Frequently asked questions
What is DNS propagation and how long does it take?
When you change a record, resolvers around the world keep serving the old value until their cache expires, as defined by the TTL. "Propagation" is therefore not a broadcast: it is waiting for caches to expire. With a 300-second TTL, the change is visible within minutes; with 86,400 seconds, it can take up to 24 hours.
Which DNS resolver does this test use?
Queries go through Cloudflare's public 1.1.1.1 resolver, over DNS over HTTPS. Its answer may differ from your ISP's resolver for a few minutes, until caches expire.
What is a DNS record's TTL?
The TTL (Time To Live) is the number of seconds a resolver may keep a record in cache. A short TTL speeds up changes; a long TTL reduces the load on name servers. The value shown here is the resolver's remaining cache time, so it decreases between two queries.
What is DNSSEC?
DNSSEC adds a cryptographic signature to DNS records to guarantee they were not tampered with between the authoritative server and you. When the zone is signed and validation succeeds, this test shows "DNSSEC validated". No signature is not an error: many zones are not signed yet.
Why do I get a different answer on my machine?
Two common reasons: caching (your resolver keeps the old value until the TTL expires) and geographic DNS (some domains return a different address depending on the resolver's location, typically CDNs and load balancing).