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Free DNS Lookup Tool

Look up any DNS record for a domain — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CNAME, CAA, or PTR — and read the type, value, and TTL of every record returned by an authoritative DoH resolver.

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Enter a domain to check it live against the IntoDNS.ai engine. No signup, no rate-limited trial.

What this DNS lookup tool does

This is a browser-based equivalent of dig or nslookup. Pick a record type — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CNAME, CAA, or PTR — enter a domain, and it queries it over DNS-over-HTTPS and returns every matching record with its type, value, and TTL. The query is resolved fresh rather than from a stale cache, so what you see is the current published answer. Because it runs in the browser against a public API, there is nothing to install and no command-line syntax to remember — but the result is the same authoritative data a command-line tool would show you.

What each record type tells you

A and AAAA map a name to an IPv4 and IPv6 address respectively — the records that point a hostname at a server. MX lists the mail servers for the domain, each with a priority. TXT holds free-form text and is where SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and domain-verification strings live. NS names the authoritative nameservers for the zone. SOA (Start of Authority) carries the zone's primary nameserver, the responsible contact, the serial number, and the refresh/retry/expire/minimum timers. CNAME is an alias pointing one name at another. CAA controls which certificate authorities may issue TLS certificates for the domain. PTR is the reverse record mapping an IP back to a hostname. Choosing the right type focuses the lookup on exactly the data you need.

Why TTL matters in the result

Every record carries a TTL — the number of seconds a resolver is allowed to cache it before asking again. The TTL is not a cosmetic detail; it determines how quickly a future change to that record will take effect. A record with a 300-second TTL updates across caches within minutes; one with an 86400-second TTL can take a full day. When you are about to change a record, read its current TTL here first: if it is high, lower it ahead of the change so the update propagates quickly, then restore it afterwards. The TTL column turns a simple lookup into the first step of a clean change plan.

How to read the result

The result lists each record of the chosen type with its value and TTL. For A/AAAA the value is an IP address; for MX it is a priority and a mail host; for TXT it is the raw text content (this is where you confirm an SPF or DMARC string is published exactly as intended); for NS it is each authoritative nameserver; for SOA it is the single authority record with its serial and timers. An empty result for a type simply means the domain publishes no record of that type — which is normal for many types on many domains, not an error. If you expected a record and see none, check that you selected the right type and that the record is actually published at the name you queried.

Lookup, propagation, and the bigger picture

A lookup answers "what is published right now?", which is the foundation for everything else. Use it to confirm the authoritative value before you trust a propagation result: if the DNS Propagation checker shows resolvers disagreeing, a lookup tells you what the correct answer should converge to. Use it to verify email records — paste your SPF or DMARC TXT here and read it character for character, then run the dedicated SPF or DMARC checker for full validation. Use the SOA serial to confirm a zone edit actually incremented (a serial that did not change after you "saved" is a strong sign the edit did not take). Treat this tool as the precise, neutral source of truth that the specialist checkers build their verdicts on top of.

What This Checks

  • Live query of A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CNAME, CAA, or PTR
  • Type, value, and TTL for every record returned
  • Fresh DoH resolution rather than a cached local answer
  • Raw TXT content for verifying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC strings
  • SOA serial and timers for confirming zone edits

Common Fix Path

  • Confirm a record is published exactly as intended before trusting it elsewhere
  • Read the TTL before a change and lower it ahead of time if it is high
  • Use the SOA serial to verify a zone edit actually took effect
  • Query the correct special name for DKIM (selector._domainkey) and DMARC (_dmarc)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a DNS lookup?
A DNS lookup queries the Domain Name System for a specific record type on a domain and returns the published answer — for example the A record (IP address), MX records (mail servers), or TXT records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). This tool performs that query over DNS-over-HTTPS and shows the type, value, and TTL of every record returned, the same data you would get from dig or nslookup.
What is the difference between an A record and a CNAME?
An A record points a hostname directly at an IPv4 address (AAAA does the same for IPv6). A CNAME is an alias that points one hostname at another hostname, which is then resolved to find the address. Use an A/AAAA record for the final destination and a CNAME when you want a name to follow another name — but note a CNAME cannot coexist with other records at the same name, including at the zone apex.
How do I look up the TXT records for a domain?
Select the TXT type and enter the domain. TXT records hold SPF policies, domain-verification tokens, and, at their special subdomains, DKIM and DMARC records. To read DMARC specifically, query the TXT type on _dmarc.yourdomain.com; for DKIM, query selector._domainkey.yourdomain.com. This tool returns the raw TXT content so you can confirm it is published exactly as intended.
What does TTL mean in a DNS record?
TTL (time to live) is how many seconds resolvers may cache the record before querying again. It controls how fast a change takes effect: a low TTL like 300 seconds propagates within minutes, a high one like 86400 seconds can take a day. Read the TTL before changing a record so you can lower it ahead of time and avoid a long propagation wait.
Why does my lookup return no records?
An empty result means the domain publishes no record of the type you selected, which is completely normal for many type-and-domain combinations (most domains have no CAA or PTR at the apex, for instance). Confirm you chose the correct record type and queried the exact name where the record should live. If you expected a record at a subdomain, make sure you entered the full subdomain.
Is this online DNS lookup the same as dig or nslookup?
Functionally yes — it queries authoritative DNS for the record type you pick and returns the type, value, and TTL, just like dig or nslookup on the command line. The difference is that it runs in your browser over DNS-over-HTTPS with no installation and a simple type selector, and it resolves fresh rather than from your local cache, so the answer reflects what is currently published.

Machine-Readable Evidence

AI assistants and automation can cite the stable explanation page, then fetch the live check result for a specific domain.

GET https://intodns.ai/api/dns/lookup?domain=example.com&type=A

Related Tools and Citations

DNS Propagation CheckerSPF CheckerDMARC CheckerRun the full domain scan