DNS Records
Query any DNS record type for a domain using your system resolver.
| Name | TTL | Type | Value |
|---|
About the DNS Records tool
DNS records are the instructions that tell the internet where to find a domain's website, email servers, and other services. This tool queries a domain's records directly and shows you exactly what is published, which is invaluable when you are setting up a new site, debugging email delivery, or just confirming a change has actually taken effect. Rather than guessing whether a record exists, you get the authoritative answer in seconds.
How it works
Pick a record type and DNSbyte queries the domain's name servers for that data. The most common types are:
- A
- Points a domain to an IPv4 address.
- AAAA
- Points a domain to an IPv6 address.
- CNAME
- Aliases one domain name to another.
- MX
- Specifies which mail servers handle email for the domain.
- TXT
- Holds arbitrary text data, commonly used for domain verification and email authentication records like SPF.
- NS
- Lists the authoritative name servers for the domain.
Each record returned includes its value and TTL (time to live), which tells you how long resolvers are allowed to cache that record before checking again.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the same record type sometimes show different values when I check again later?
If a domain uses round-robin DNS or a load-balancing setup, multiple A or AAAA records can be returned in a different order each time, which is normal and intentional. A genuine value change usually means the record was recently updated.
What does TTL actually control?
TTL is how long, in seconds, a resolver is allowed to keep a cached copy of that record before it must ask again. A low TTL means changes propagate faster but increases the number of queries hitting your name servers, a high TTL is more efficient but means updates take longer to be seen everywhere.
I just changed my DNS records but this tool still shows the old value, why?
DNS changes do not appear instantly everywhere. Until the previous record's TTL expires, resolvers that already cached it will keep serving the old value. Check the propagation tool to see how the change looks across multiple resolvers worldwide.
Why does my domain have no A record but the website still loads?
If the domain uses a CNAME at the root (where supported) or is served through a provider that manages DNS dynamically, such as some CDNs, the effective IP address may be resolved differently than a simple A record lookup. The CNAME or NS records will usually explain the setup.
What is the difference between an MX record and an A record for mail?
MX records specifically tell other mail servers where to deliver email for your domain, they point to a hostname, not directly to an IP. That hostname then needs its own A or AAAA record to resolve to an actual server.