DNS Lookup

A DNS lookup is a query sent to a DNS resolver asking for the records associated with a domain name or IP address. The resolver checks its cache or contacts authoritative name servers to retrieve the answer. This tool sends that query on your behalf to public resolvers and returns the raw record values, types, and TTL values so you can inspect the current DNS state for any domain.

dig and nslookup query DNS from your local machine, so they use your network's configured resolver, which may cache old records or apply split-horizon DNS (returning different answers inside a corporate network versus outside). This tool queries from external public resolvers, specifically Google and Cloudflare, so results reflect what the public internet currently sees. Differences between the two usually indicate a caching lag or a network-specific DNS policy.

TTL stands for Time to Live and is measured in seconds. It tells DNS resolvers how long they may cache a record before discarding it and fetching a fresh copy from the authoritative name server. A TTL of 3600 means resolvers can serve that record for up to one hour. When you change a DNS record, the old value continues to circulate until every resolver's cached copy expires. Lowering TTL before a planned migration reduces how long stale records persist.

No, this is expected behavior. DNS resolvers cache records for the duration of their TTL. Until that timer expires, resolvers serve the previously cached value rather than fetching the updated record. Check the TTL shown in the results to estimate how long propagation will take. Once the TTL on the old record expires, resolvers will query the authoritative name server again and return the new value.

A DNS lookup retrieves raw record data from public resolvers without interpreting it. It returns the record value exactly as published. A DMARC checker specifically fetches the TXT record at the _dmarc subdomain and then parses the policy string, validates its syntax, and explains what each tag means. Use the DNS lookup to confirm a DMARC record exists and see its raw value; use the DMARC checker to validate that the policy is correctly formed.

Select PTR as the record type, then enter an IP address in the input field instead of a domain name. The PTR record type maps an IP address back to a hostname. This is useful for verifying that a mail server's IP has a correctly configured reverse DNS entry, which many receiving mail servers check as part of spam filtering. PTR records are managed by the IP address owner, typically the hosting provider, not the domain owner.

RFC 8482 allows resolvers to respond to ANY queries with a minimal answer rather than returning all record types. This change was introduced to reduce the potential for DNS amplification attacks, where a small query generates a large response that can be used in denial-of-service scenarios. If you need a complete picture of a domain's DNS records, query each record type individually (A, MX, TXT, NS, and so on) rather than relying on ANY.

An A record maps a domain name directly to an IPv4 address. A CNAME record maps a domain name to another domain name, which the resolver then resolves further to find an IP address. CNAMEs add an extra resolution step but allow multiple subdomains to follow a single canonical name. A records cannot coexist with CNAME records on the same name, which is why zone apex domains (like example.com) typically use A records rather than CNAMEs.

Pingie's privacy policy covers how query data is handled. DNS lookups query public information that is already openly accessible to anyone on the internet, so the domain names themselves are not private data. The tool does not require you to create an account or submit any personal information to perform a lookup.

SPF records are published as TXT records on the root domain (for example, example.com ). Select TXT as the record type and enter the domain to retrieve the SPF string. DKIM records are published as TXT records on a selector subdomain, typically in the format selector._domainkey.example.com . Enter that full subdomain and select TXT. To validate that a DKIM record is correctly structured rather than just viewing its raw value, use the DKIM checker .

Yes. Enter the full subdomain in the input field, such as mail.example.com or www.example.com , and select the record type you want to query. DNS records can be set independently at any subdomain level, so a query for example.com will not automatically return records for mail.example.com . Each subdomain must be queried separately.

The SOA (Start of Authority) record is the first record in a DNS zone and contains administrative metadata: the primary name server, the responsible party's email address (encoded as a domain), the zone serial number, and refresh and retry intervals. The serial number increments each time the zone is updated, so checking the SOA is a reliable way to confirm that a DNS zone change has been published by the authoritative name server, independent of resolver caching.