DNS records are one of the most underutilized parts of your domain. They are responsible for dynamically mapping your domain name to an array of IP addresses, making them a key component in internet-enabled devices like routers, load balancers, and web servers. People who want to find a website’s DNS records can use the DNS lookup tool to find information in a DNS.
Many new businesses using their websites for years incorrectly assume that DNS records and the setup you can make to generate static IP Addresses for your website are sufficient.
However, many of the more advanced features built into your web hosting account are only available through DNS record updates which can be done manually or by an old process called ‘Cron Jobs’, which is not recommended.
What are DNS Records?
DNS records are the building blocks of the Domain Name System (DNS), which is a hierarchical, decentralized computer network that allows you to connect to websites on the internet. The Domain Name System translates domain names into IP addresses. Your device uses this information to connect to servers that provide access to websites.
DNS records contain information about your site’s hostname, such as its website address and its name servers. These records are used by your browser when it tries to connect to a website through your ISP’s DNS server.
Your ISP caches these records by assigning each domain name in your domain name space (for example, www.example.com) with a unique set of IP addresses that belong exclusively to that domain name space.
What are the different types of DNS Records?
There are several types of DNS records, which can be classified as follows:
- A Host (A) record is a record that points to a specific IP address. It contains the IP address of the computer and the port number on which it listens for connections from other computers. A Record the address record is used to query a host’s address (IPv4 or IPv6) and perform reverse lookups. AAAA Record, the IPv6 equivalent of the A record, is used for host addresses in the IPv6 Internet.
- An MX (E-mail) record specifies how a given host should receive a mail. The MX record tells a mail server what names it should use when relaying e-mails to and from the internet. MX Records The mail exchange record stores a list of mail exchangers for a host’s domain name, which mail servers can use to direct mail clients to another server when they receive an email message with a domain name that matches the MX record.
- An ALIAS or CNAME record allows you to map one domain name to another if they’re in different TLDs or under the same parent TLD but have different number designators (e.g., com, org).
- NS Records The name server record stores information about a name server.
- An SRV (Service) record specifies how to find an application based on its type and name, such as a web server or FTP server.
When you change any of your DNS records, it takes some time to propagate globally. You can go to that link https://whatsmydns.me/ to check DNS propagation worldwide.
How Can You Look Up a Domain’s DNS Records?
If you’re looking up a domain’s DNS records, entering its IP address in your browser’s address bar is the easiest way to do it.
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a progression of servers found from one side of the planet to the other which store the setup data of a domain name to make the method involved with changing over a domain name into an IP address or other DNS design data to all the more effectively access a server.
You can also use the online DNS lookup tool. As the internet age progresses, people create new inventions every day, one of which is the lookup tool. You can find all the records configured to any domain using the DNS record lookup tool.
How to perform DNS lookup in Windows?
In Windows, you can perform a DNS lookup using the Command Prompt by following these steps:
- Press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu.
- Type “cmd” in the search box to find the Command Prompt application.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt application and select “Run as administrator” from the context menu. This will open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
- In the Command Prompt, type the following command to perform a DNS lookup for a domain name: nslookup <domain-name>
- Replace <domain-name> with the actual domain name you want to look up. For example, if you’re going to lookup the DNS records for google.com, you would enter:
- Press Enter to run the command. The Command Prompt will display the DNS records associated with the domain name you entered.
Why Do Some Domains Have Different DNS Records Than Others?
A DNS record is a collection of information stored in a specific location. The records are often used to associate domain names with IP addresses. Still, people could also use them to associate other types of data like e-mail addresses, phone numbers, or social media accounts.
When you type a domain name into your browser, the browser uses the DNS record associated with that domain name to look up the IP address for that domain name. Different servers have different records for different domains, so if multiple domains point to the same IP address, you will see problems loading pages and other aspects of your website.
Conclusion
No matter what you choose to do, DNS records will be there to guide the search engines to the server which is hosting your site. The DNS record lookup tool allows for a quick and convenient way to find out any information within the records.
