Inspect the answer, the type and the resolver status
DNS maps names to records. An address record helps a client reach a server, an MX record describes mail routing, and a TXT record can carry a domain-verification or email-authentication policy. Looking at the right record type is essential: a domain can have no IPv6 address and still have working IPv4 records, mail records and other configuration.
This explorer sends your selected name and record type to Google Public DNS through the site’s server. It shows the answer records, remaining TTLs, response status and relevant flags returned by that resolver. It does not claim to query every authoritative server or show what every person on the internet currently receives. The result is one resolver’s answer at one time.
Choose the record that matches the question
Use A for IPv4 addresses and AAAA for IPv6 addresses. Use MX when investigating where incoming mail is directed. A CNAME describes an alias, while NS identifies name servers for a zone. The SOA record provides zone-administration information that can help with authoritative DNS troubleshooting.
TXT is a container for text used by many independent systems. A verification token, an SPF policy and an unrelated service setting can all coexist as separate TXT records. The tool displays the returned text; it does not assume every record is an SPF policy. For focused mail checks, use the email-domain audit, which selects relevant records and applies limited configuration checks.
CAA records describe certificate-authority authorisation policy. DS and DNSKEY relate to DNSSEC. Their presence is useful evidence, but reading one record is not the same as validating a complete trust chain. Use the DNSSEC guide to understand the resolver’s authentication flag and why delegation boundaries matter.
Choose ALL for a domain overview across ten supported record types. Queries run in small batches, and a failed lookup stays visible alongside successful answers. An empty answer for one type is not proof that a domain has no records of other types. Choose a single record type when you only need a focused query.
The Overview tab explains the findings. Measured data lets you search individual fields and values, while JSON report shows the complete export. Export JSON to retain a baseline, or print the findings for your own records. Review the report before sharing it: browser characteristics, token claims, and file names can reveal information about your setup.
Distinguish no data from a failed lookup
A successful DNS response can contain no answer of the requested type. That is different from a name that does not exist. The response status helps distinguish the cases. NOERROR with no matching answer can mean that the name exists but lacks that record type. NXDOMAIN means the resolver reports that the queried name does not exist.
SERVFAIL indicates that the resolver could not complete the requested resolution. It can result from authoritative-server problems, broken delegations, DNSSEC validation failures or other resolution issues. This explorer preserves that status rather than describing every failure as a missing domain. A network timeout between this service and the resolver is another separate condition and appears as a request error.
Follow aliases carefully. A response to an A query may include a CNAME and an address for its target. Those records play different roles. If you recently changed an alias target, inspect the full answer and not only the final address. The numeric record type in raw data identifies what each answer represents.
Use TTLs when investigating a recent change
TTL means time to live and is expressed in seconds. A recursive resolver commonly returns the remaining lifetime of a cached record. A small value does not necessarily mean the authoritative configuration was created with that exact TTL. Repeating the same query may show the value decreasing while the cached answer remains unchanged.
After a DNS edit, different resolvers can keep different cached answers until their existing lifetimes expire. Negative responses can also be cached. There is no single worldwide propagation switch that this tool can measure. If one resolver still returns an earlier value, compare the authoritative configuration and the time the change was made before repeatedly editing the record.
For operational work, save the result with the requested name, record type and timestamp. Compare another validating resolver or query the authoritative servers using appropriate command-line tools when necessary. Geographic routing, resolver policy and split-horizon DNS can cause legitimate differences. This public explorer cannot access a company’s internal-only DNS view and should not be used to infer what an internal client resolves.
DNS names are case-insensitive for ordinary matching, but returned text values can have their own case-sensitive meaning. Do not rewrite a verification token or public key merely to make the report look consistent. Copy the original record value when following a provider’s configuration instructions.
Common DNS statuses and records
| Item | Practical meaning |
|---|---|
| Status 0 / NOERROR | The query completed; an empty answer may mean no record of that type. |
| Status 2 / SERVFAIL | Resolution failed; investigate DNSSEC, delegation and authoritative availability. |
| Status 3 / NXDOMAIN | The resolver reports that the queried name does not exist. |
| TTL | Remaining cache lifetime in seconds, as reported in this response. |
Strengths and limitations
What this is useful for
A typed query and raw answer make DNS troubleshooting concrete. The explorer exposes status and TTL instead of showing only a final IP, and supports the records needed for common website, mail and DNSSEC investigations. Exported results make change comparisons easier to document.
What to keep in mind
The answer comes from one recursive resolver and may be cached. It is not a complete DNS health audit, authoritative-zone export or internal-network lookup. Resolver policy, geolocation and caching can create differences that require additional tools and context to explain.
Common questions
Why are there no AAAA records?
The domain may not publish an IPv6 address for that name. If an A record exists, IPv4 clients may still reach it normally. Check the response status before interpreting an empty answer, because no data, a nonexistent name and a failed lookup are different conditions.
Does a low TTL mean the domain is unreliable?
No. Short TTLs are often intentional for failover, load balancing or planned changes. A resolver may also be returning the remaining lifetime of a cached record. TTL describes caching behaviour, not the business’s trustworthiness or the server’s uptime.
Where is my query sent?
The entered DNS name and record type are sent to this application’s server, which queries Google Public DNS. Do not submit a confidential internal name if disclosing the query is inappropriate. Public DNS cannot usually resolve private split-horizon records in the way an internal resolver does.
Can this prove a DNS change has propagated everywhere?
No single resolver can prove worldwide convergence. Compare the authoritative configuration with several relevant recursive resolvers and allow existing cache lifetimes to expire. The query timestamp and TTL help reason about a change, but they do not reveal every cache on the internet.