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The Internet is a gigantic city that lacks the street signs to start with. And that’s where the Domain Name System (DNS) comes in, the internet’s address book, mapping human-readable domain names (like google. com) to the numerical IP addresses that computers use to communicate.
DNS records are the entries in this address book, and they each tell which specific instructions apply to a given domain. Mastering how to locate and read these records can be very beneficial for debugging website problems or email setup, and to simply get a better understanding of how the internet operates.
Different methods for querying DNS records exist, each with its own advantages:
DNS Lookup Tools: There are many websites that provide user-friendly interface for DNS lookup. Just type in a domain name, and the tool will retrieve and display the relevant records. Some popular options include:
WhatIs My IP: You can use a DNS lookup tool from what is my IP to check what you got: https://www.whatismyip.com/dns-lookup/
DNS Finder: https://dnsfinder.org/
Google Admin Toolbox Dig: https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/dig/
For more experienced users, command-line tools can also be used to check DNS propagation. Such tools provide greater control and may yield more in-depth information.
Accessing DNS Records Programmatically: If you want to programmatically access DNS records, a wide range of libraries are available in various programming languages. These libraries will let you retrieve and process DNS data in your own applications.
There are different types of DNS records, each serving its purpose:
A Record: associates a domain name with an IPv4 address (example: 192.0.2.1)
AAAA Record: Links a domain name to an IPv6 address (e.g., 2001:db8::1).
CNAME Record: An alias that points a domain name into another name (e.g. example. com might point to example. com).
MX Record: Defines mail servers responsible for handling email for a domain.
NS Record: Tells who are the authoritative name servers for a domain, the servers that hold the definitive records.
TXT Record: Used to store arbitrary text, often for purposes of verification or providing services with additional information.
Familiarity with DNS records can be useful in a number of scenarios:
Find website issues: A website may be down, and this may show whether the A record points to the right IP.
Email Routing: MX records are fundamental for email configuration, directing emails to the correct mail servers.
Domain ownership verification: TXT records are commonly used to verify domain ownership when registering with services like Google Search Console.
Gathering Data from Website Infrastructure: By analyzing DNS records, we can gain information about a website’s hosting configuration, CDN usage, and technical details.
There are many different types of DNS records that dictate how domain names are translated to address the internet (or what we type in the browser). Learning how to locate and analyze these records, you can gain valuable insight into the type of technology that underlines the internet and address specific technical problems. Next time you have a problem with your website or want to setup an email you now can remember the power of DNS records and the tools you can use to help you read them.
